


all my broken heartbeats

by laylaherondale



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, The Wicked Powers Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Jessa, Bedsharing, Canon Compliant, Eventual Sex, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, post qoaad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 83,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24493021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laylaherondale/pseuds/laylaherondale
Summary: Ty’s eyes snapped up to meet his. “You’re going to help me look for her?”“No, I thought I’d let your pet lynx run through the Institute for a bit, just to see what happens.”“Oh.” Ty looked disappointed....In which Kit and Ty are reunited by a wedding, a lynx, and the simple fact that neither of them really wants to leave the other's company.
Relationships: Jem Carstairs & Kit Rook, Mina Carstairs & Kit Rook, Tessa Gray & Kit Rook, Tiberius Blackthorn/Kit Rook
Comments: 398
Kudos: 569





	1. Chapter 1

Kit Herondale was definitely _not_ freaking out about his outfit today.

Nope. Definitely not. Not Kit Herondale, the effortlessly fashionable teenage boy who lived at Cirenworth Hall with that slightly strange but kind couple and their adorable toddler. That boy was very cool and definitely never freaked out about his clothing. Ever.

So if the entire contents of his wardrobe had been emptied onto his bed and he was glued to his full-length mirror trying to remember how to tie a tie and wondering if it was too late to run into town for a last-minute shopping trip, that didn’t mean anything because it was perfectly normal behaviour that did not indicate _anything_ about his mental state.

Maybe he was really passionate about fashion. Was that so bad? This was just the classic Herondale narcissism rearing its head.

Definitely just that.

Why hadn’t he washed his hair today? He should have washed it. And why had it never occurred to him to buy some kind of product to put in it? He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and not in a sexy way.

“I came up here to ask if you were ready to go,” came an amused voice from the doorway, “but I guess I have my answer.”

Jem Carstairs was leaning against the door frame, eyebrows raised as he took in the mess that was Kit’s bedroom.

Kit threw back his head and groaned. “I am SO sorry. Just give me a minute and I’ll be all packed, I swear.” He unbuttoned the top buttons on his shirt and pulled it over his head without even undoing the tie, then tossed it into the suitcase sitting next to his mirror. It was a nice enough shirt. He should probably bring it. It was a good choice. Right?

He stared at the pile on his bed. Maybe he could try to stuff everything in the bag and deal with this later. Or he could forget packing and buy a whole new wardrobe in New York. Magnus would be there. So would Isabelle. Surely they’d make time to help him out with his fashion emergency.

“So, this is where your allowance is going,” Jem quipped, striding over to the bed to admire Kit’s mess. He picked up a pair of slacks and held them up curiously. “You own trousers that _aren’t_ jeans?”

“Yes,” Kit grumbled, snatching them back from him and pulling them on, “and I’ve worn them before.”

Jem tsked. “I’m quite sure I would have noticed if you had. Here!” He pulled out a light blue sweater and held it up to Kit. “Wear this. It’s cold in New York.”

Kit glared at him, but he pulled on the sweater. It was a nice sweater. Kit had thrown it aside because he’d thought it might be too casual, but if Jem approved, then it must be alright.

“You do realize you don’t have to dress up until the actual ceremony, right?” Jem said, as if reading his mind. “I doubt Simon and Isabelle will mind if you show up to the Institute in casual wear the day _before_ the wedding.”

Kit didn’t even bother responding, but shook his head and started pulling clothes out of his pile at random and packing them away with absolutely no regard for what went well with what. Clearly, it was better if he didn’t overthink it too much.

“Kit.”

“I’m fine! Just wait for me downstairs. This’ll only take a sec.”

He felt Jem’s hand on his arm, stilling him. Kit knew what was coming. Jem said variations of the same thing every time the topic of Blackthorns came up. Or anything Blackthorn-adjacent. Or when he suspected Kit was thinking about the Blackthorns. Well, joke’s on him, Kit thought triumphantly; he was _always_ thinking about the Blackthorns, and Jem only picked up on it about once a week.

Kit knew he meant well, but even two years after things had fallen apart with Ty, he still very much did not want to talk about it.

He shrugged away from Jem and grabbed a pair of pants at random, then threw them into his suitcase. He loved Jem and Tessa, but sometimes living with people over a hundred years old - one of whom had had the power to read minds for most of those hundred years - was very annoying at times.

“I know you think you understand,” he said softly, picking out a few more outfits, “but you don’t. You weren’t there. I fucked up, and I just have to live with that. And I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?”

Jem ducked his head. He didn’t look offended. Just sad. Sometimes he and Tessa got this look in their eyes, like they were looking right through him and seeing some long-dead ancestor who had made all the same mistakes he had and suffered greatly for them. Kit hated that look. It always came out when conversation veered a little too close to what had happened in Los Angeles.

“Jem! Kit!” came Tessa’s voice from the hallway. “What on earth is taking you so- oh my goodness.” Tessa had walked into Kit’s room, Mina squirming in her arms, and taken in Kit’s mess. Utterly bewildered, she looked to Jem, then to Kit.

“Messy,” said Mina, shaking her head sadly. “So, so messy.”

“Yes, Mina, very messy. Kit, what is going on?”

“Nothing! Nothing is going on! This is a perfectly normal thing to do right before travelling across the Atlantic!” he yelled, as he finished zipping up his suitcase and jumped up. Tessa and Jem just stared at him. Mina was trying her best to escape Tessa’s grip.

“I’m ready to go.”

Tessa just shook her head, adjusted her hold on her daughter, and turned around. “I’ll get a portal ready.”

Kit avoided Jem’s eyes as he dragged his suitcase out the door and down the stairs. He knew exactly what Jem was trying to say, and he didn’t want to hear it. Yes, he was acting strangely. No, it had absolutely nothing to do with the people he was going to see for the first time in two years today.

Absolutely nothing to do with that.

He was just nervous about seeing Jace again. That was it. Jace had high expectations for Kit, as did every single one of Jace’s friends, and Kit didn’t feel like being The Family Disappointment. He needed everyone to see him as a Herondale.

And if he also happened to know that a certain ex-best-friend of his that he hadn’t spoken to in two years but had thought about _literally every single day_ during that time would definitely be at the wedding and might be curious to see how he was doing after so long, that was irrelevant. It’s not like Ty was even going to talk to him. They weren’t friends anymore. That wasn’t going to change. Realistically, Ty probably wouldn’t even _look_ at him.

Sidenote: this wedding would have an open bar, right?

Who was he kidding? It was Isabelle’s wedding. Of course there would be an open bar.

Tessa led them outside, handed Mina to her husband, and murmured the enchantments to create a portal. The air in front of her started to shimmer. She nodded to Jem, and he stepped through the portal, holding Mina close to his chest.

Kit followed. His stomach dropped uncomfortably as he was pulled through space and spat out on the steps of the New York Institute. He managed to keep his footing this time, but just barely. He _hated_ portal travel. Seconds later, Tessa appeared at his side, looking completely put together. Mina was crying, hands over her ears. Jem was bouncing her up and down trying to calm her.

“Shhhhhh, I know, that’s not fun, is it? You’ll be okay. Shhhhh.”

Kit had never related to Mina more than in this moment.

He did not feel okay. His stomach was in knots. The New York Institute had never looked so intimidating. He wished he was allowed to burst into tears and start screaming at the top of his lungs. 

It was so unfair, the privileges toddlers were afforded.

Okay, fine, so maybe he did still have feelings for Ty. And maybe he was freaking out just a little bit about seeing him today. Maybe he wanted nothing more than to turn around and yeet himself back through a portal so he could bail on Simon and Isabelle’s wedding and never be faced with the prospect of seeing Tiberius Blackthorn ever again in his life.

It might even be worth it.

Mina calmed down in seconds. Kit did not.

Jem bounded up the stairs and knocked on the door - he could have opened it easily, but it was polite to knock. Kit put on his bravest face and waited for someone to come let them in.

It hadn’t been that long since his last visit. Kit liked to stop by every once in a while to see Jace, and of course all the Shadowhunters in New York had made it clear that he, Tessa, Jem and Mina were welcome there at any time. Especially Mina. They mostly wanted to see Mina. Kit didn’t even blame them. That kid was _cute_. She definitely brought more to the table than Kit ever would.

Plus, Tessa was good friends with Magnus, and Mina was only two years younger than Max, so the four of them spent a lot of time in Brooklyn.

Yes, Kit had been to New York many times in the last few years, but this was the first time it had ever held the threat of Blackthorns, and that threat put him on edge. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited, wondering despite himself if they were already there or if they would be arriving later.

To his enormous relief, it was the groom himself who opened the door for them, and he was alone. Simon looked the same as he always did, dressed in jeans and an old t-shirt so faded that Kit couldn’t tell what it was supposed to say. He looked thrilled to see them, as he ushered them inside and immediately started exclaiming over how big Mina had gotten in the months since he had last seen her.

Mina, of course, chose this moment to hide her face in her dad’s shoulder and refuse to talk, but that didn’t seem to phase Simon. Tessa congratulated him on the wedding, while Kit hung back.

Of all the members of the New York Conclave, Kit talked to Simon the most. They had struck up an unexpected friendship over the last few years, much to the annoyance of Jace, who had clearly hoped that Kit would share his passion for dangerous weapons, and constantly insisted that Simon was corrupting his mind with mundane nonsense. _You’re becoming one of them_ , he had once said, lying on the floor in despair after walking in on Kit talking to Isabelle about comic books. _First he came for my fiancé, then my sister, and now you. The Herondale name will never recover_.

Kit liked to think of Simon as a sort of ambassador of mundane culture to the shadow world. He had set up a Whatsapp group chat with everyone interested in going to midnight premieres of big movie releases, and frequently planned big watch parties. Kit had muted the chat as soon as he had been added, but he still checked it occasionally, and had even joined in on a few of their movie nights. It was hard to find people to go with in Devon, and he didn’t want to miss any new Marvel movies.

Kit had, of course, declined the invitation to join Simon’s Dungeons and Dragons club. Even he had standards.

Simon slung his arm over Kit’s shoulders and started walking them all toward the elevator, filling them in on all the excitement of the last few days. Apparently they were not the only ones arriving before the wedding; the institute had been bustling with excitement for a few days now as everyone had gone into wedding planning mode. Kit gathered that the Blackthorns hadn’t arrived yet, and relaxed slightly.

Simon turned to him as soon as they all piled into the elevator. “So,” he said, suddenly serious. “The new Hobbit movie. How are we feeling?”

Kit smirked. “Saw it yesterday,” he announced proudly. “It’s already out in the UK.”

Simon’s jaw dropped. “KIT!” he yelled indignantly. “My _parabatai_ can make portals, and you didn’t invite me?”

“You’re getting married tomorrow!”

“Izzy wouldn’t mind!”

The elevator dinged and they all stepped out onto the second floor.

“I saw that hobbit movie with Kit,” Jem said thoughtfully, “It was certainly interesting.”

Simon rounded on Jem. “When you say _interesting-_ ”

“It was hot garbage,” Kit interjected. “He just thought the elves looked cool.”

“Dammit!”

Kit laughed, and dragged his suitcase down the hall to the room he always stayed in when he visited the New York Institute.

“Dinner’s in the kitchen, traitor!” Simon yelled after him. Kit stuck out his tongue in response, because he was very mature. 

Kit didn’t bother unpacking his single suitcase once he had shut the door to his room. It had only been a few minutes since his wardrobe-related freak out, and he didn’t want to risk falling into another spiral. He also didn’t particularly want to see just how much he had forgotten to pack. He didn’t even let himself look in the mirror, in case that led to another freak out. He just flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

He was a mess.

And he was definitely going to meet the Blackthorns looking like a mess.

But what did it matter if Ty was about to see him like this? If Ty had ever cared about him at all, he definitely didn’t care now. He didn’t like Kit like that, probably didn’t even want to be friends with him. Didn’t even want Kit in his life. Why was Kit freaking out about a guy who probably didn’t want anything to do with him?

Yup. He was spiralling.

It’s just that it had been so _long_ since he’d seen Ty. He didn’t know what to expect. He knew that Ty had gone to the Scholomance, as he had always wanted to. He knew that Livvy’s ghost was still following him around - or at least she had been two years ago, the last time he had seen her. By the angel, had it really been two years? He remembered all too well the fear that had gripped him when Livvy’s ghost had appeared in his house. And then she had left so suddenly. He’d spent the next week waiting to hear that something bad had happened to Ty.

He still didn’t know what that visit had been about.

Livvy hadn’t wanted Ty to go to the Scholomance. It was mostly because she had wanted them to be _parabatai_ , yes, but she had also been worried about what the professors and the students might think of Ty. And she had been right to worry. Kit knew that the Scholomance was different now, but it had once churned out students like Zara Dearborn - had been prime recruiting ground for the Cohort, even - and Kit wasn’t convinced that such a dramatic culture shift could happen so quickly, even with the Clave in the state it was in now. And whatever had happened the night of Mina’s birth, it had sounded like Ty was in trouble.

The thought of Ty being bullied at school sent fire through Kit’s veins. Ty deserved so much better than the Scholomance. He deserved… he deserved… 

He deserved a lot of things, but Kit didn’t have any right to determine what those things might be. Definitely not anymore.

It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

The Institute’s kitchen was a disaster. It was obvious that wedding preparations were taking precedence over pretty much everything. There were stains all over the countertop, the fridge wouldn’t close properly, and the garbage was overflowing with takeout containers. Someone had printed out pictures of Isabelle and drawn a giant red “X” over them, then hung them all over the room, proclaiming each appliance an “Isabelle-free zone.” The table was covered in so many dirty dishes that Kit wondered if there were any left in the cupboard.

Thankfully, everyone in the kitchen was distracted enough already that Kit didn’t draw too much attention when he walked in. Clary and Simon were talking to Tessa by the sink, while Magnus chatted with Jem. Jace and Isabelle were sitting at the table, Mina in between them. Mina had clearly gotten over her shyness, and was talking excitedly to the two adults in between mouthfuls of what looked like goldfish crackers. Jem kept looking over at them suspiciously, as if worried the snacks might be poisonous or inedible. Kit didn’t blame him.

Mina was the first to notice Kit when he walked in. Her face lit up in excitement and she completely forgot about her goldfish as she pointed at him.

“That’s my big brother!” She announced proudly.

“No way!” Jace exclaimed in false surprise, grinning at Kit over her head. Kit waved a greeting. 

“I go see him,” Mina said, as she turned around in her chair and lowered herself to the ground. Isabelle reached out to help, but Mina was well practiced at this maneuver, and landed on her feet. She ran up to Kit and he scooped her up with ease.

“Two is such a cute age,” said Magnus wistfully. “I don’t miss it at all.”

Tessa and Jem both laughed. Kit glared theatrically at Magnus. “Don’t listen to him, Min-Min. He’s just jealous his kids aren’t as cute as you.”

She whacked Kit on the head. Everyone laughed, including Mina, who was thrilled to be the center of attention in such a big room. Jace walked over to them and ruffled Kit’s hair affectionately.

“What are big brothers for, if not for hitting? Here - it’ll work better if you do this with your hand.” He started to teach Mina to make a fist, and Kit looked between Jem and Tessa in betrayal. They both looked like they were trying not to laugh.

“Do you see this? Is this the kind of influence you want in your kid’s life?”

Jem turned to Tessa. “Didn’t Will used to tell Lucie to attack her brother with books when he annoyed her?”

Kit knew by now that he was talking about Tessa’s first husband, and their kids. He had heard enough stories about them that he felt like he knew them personally, even though they were long dead.

“No,” replied Tessa, gazing off into the distance. “That was Cecily. Will just let it happen so he’d have an excuse to call you when James got injured.”

“And he wonders why I don’t want kids yet,” said Clary, gazing fondly at Jace, who was still busy teaching Mina to throw punches. She was getting very good at it. Kit might need an _iratze_ soon.

“Lies and slander,” Jace replied, offended. “I am an excellent uncle, and will make an even better father one day. Right, Magnus?”

Magnus said nothing. Kit laughed.

“Where are Max and Rafe, by the way?” Kit was very well acquainted with Magnus’s kids, and was surprised to see Magnus here without them.

“Arriving later,” he said. “Alec had work to do. Besides, my services were required here.” He punctuated the last sentence with an eyebrow wiggle and a dramatic flick of his fingers.

“Why did you have to say it like that?” said Simon, horrified.

Conversation continued in that vein, the easy banter of people who had known each other a long time and shared many life experiences. Simon chewed out Kit for his most recent betrayal, and Isabelle confirmed that she would not, in fact, be okay with her fiancé darting off to London two days before the wedding so he could watch the conclusion to a movie trilogy he didn’t even like. Jace repeatedly asked Kit if he wanted a drink, and Clary repeatedly reminded him that Kit was very much underage, which prompted a lively discussion about whether or not Shadowhunters were bound by mundane drinking laws. Kit very much hoped this discussion would be forgotten by the next day.

At some point, Mina got bored of hitting him, and squirmed out of his arms and ran over to bother Tessa, who suddenly realized that it was well past Mina’s bedtime in Devon, and bid goodnight to everyone as she scooped up her daughter and dragged her, now kicking and screaming, out of the room. Jem followed closely behind.

Simon yawned. “When did the Blackthorns say they’d get here?” he asked Clary. Kit tried to keep his expression neutral, but the look Magnus shot him said he wasn’t entirely successful.

“Any minute now,” replied Clary, completely oblivious. “Aline said Five. It’s Five-Fifteen.”

“I’m sure you’ll be happy to see them, Kit,” said Isabelle, apparently misinterpreting Kit’s reaction. “Have you talked to them much since you moved away?”

“No, not much,” he said simply, deliberately avoiding Magnus’s eyes. Of everyone in the room, Magnus alone had an idea of what had happened at Lake Lyn two years ago.

Even he didn’t know the whole story.

He was on edge from that point on, and when Clary received a text and announced cheerfully that the Blackthorns were outside and she would be back in a minute, he weighed the merits of walking right out the door and going back to his room.

But the thing is, as much as he did not want to see Ty, he also very much did want to see Ty, and his curiosity won out in the end. So he stood in the corner, and an eternity later, when the Blackthorns started to shuffle into the kitchen one at a time after putting their bags in their rooms, he smiled and waved awkwardly and tried to pretend he was okay.

Julian came in first, looking happier and more relaxed than Kit could remember him ever being. He congratulated Simon and Isabelle, and completely ignored Kit, which seemed slightly excessive, but still understandable. Dru followed, wearing a skull t-shirt and looking more or less the same as she had two years ago. She, at least, offered Kit a small smile. She looked about as uncomfortable to be there as Kit felt, but soon struck up a conversation with Simon about his time at the Academy - she had just finished her first semester there.

Helen and Aline showed up later, Tavvy in between them. Unsurprisingly, the youngest Blackthorn had changed the most of all of them; he had been a small seven-year old, but had clearly hit a growth spurt and now, at nine years old, almost hit Aline’s shoulder. Emma showed up last, chatting with Clary and looking just as fearsome at nineteen as she had at seventeen.

Ty did not show up.

He heard Helen explaining to someone that Ty had gone straight to his room. _He doesn’t like crowds very much_ , she was saying.

Ty did not like crowds; that much was true. But Kit couldn’t help but wonder if his presence had made Ty feel unwelcome, and that stung.

Kit did not know how much Ty had told his family about what had happened between them - they definitely didn’t know anything about the necromancy - but they certainly didn’t seem particularly happy to see him. Helen politely asked him about Devon, and Jem and Tessa, and Mina, and how his training was going, and the Blackthorns seemed genuinely curious to hear his answers and happy to hear that he was doing well, but everyone steered clear of the elephant in the room. If any of the others noticed, they didn’t say anything.

Even knowing that he had brought this on himself by treating Ty the way he had, it hurt to have confirmation that he had burned his last bridge with the family that had taken him in and treated him like one of their own after his father’s death.

Alec showed up some time later, just to say hello to everyone and announce that he needed to put the kids to bed, shooting a meaningful glance at Magnus, who followed him out of the room. 

Kit shuffled out soon after that, deciding that he had spent a socially acceptable amount of time making small talk with the Blackthorns, and that they probably didn’t want to talk to him anyway.

* * *

Living with Jem and Tessa, Kit had had the opportunity to learn a lot about the Herondales.

He had never felt much connection to them.

Sometimes he would say or do something, and one of them would say “that’s the Herondale in you,” or “Herondales will be Herondales,” or something along those lines. But had never really seen it. 

Sure, he could be snarky sometimes, but he wasn’t on nearly the same level as Jace, or that Will guy they kept talking about, or any of the other Herondales. Sometimes he moped, but he was a seventeen-year-old boy! It was hardly unusual. And yeah, he was passably attractive and popular with (mostly mundane) women, but despite what Jace might think, that wasn’t a Herondale thing; that was a Shadowhunter thing. Yes, he was a dramatic bitch who had moved to another country because he had opened up his heart for the first time ever and been shot down, but all Shadowhunters were dramatic bitches. That was definitely not something that was unique to his family.

He even liked ducks! Herondales weren't supposed to like ducks!

But now, lying in bed staring at his ceiling, filled with _ennui_ because a boy he hadn’t spoken to in two years hadn’t come to say hi to him, he finally saw it.

He really was a Herondale.

He didn’t even know why he was surprised. He had expected this, hadn’t he? Ty. Did. Not. Want. To. See. Him. And it was his own damn fault. But the thing is, this tiny part of him had been hoping that he was wrong about everything and that he and Ty would actually be able to put everything behind them and become friends again.

The worst part of it all, he thought, was that since Ty had blown him off, he was still waiting for that first reunion. He just didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t even know what Ty looked like these days. Had he gotten hotter? No. No. He was not going down that path. That was in the past.

So. Lying in bed thinking about his problems. 0/10, did not solve any of his problems, would not recommend under any circumstances.

He stood up. Unzipped his suitcase. Realized he would only be in New York for a few days and there was no point in unpacking. Paced for a few minutes. Also did not solve his problems. Maybe he should just hop in the shower, even though it had only been a few hours-

“BOO!”

Kit let out a very manly screech and nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around and the ghost of Livvy Blackthorn was standing right in front of him, clapping her hands excitedly.

“I’ve always wanted to do that!”

Kit sat back down on his bed, hand over his still racing heart. “Nice to see you, Livvy.”

“You too!” She looked absolutely thrilled, and completely oblivious to Kit’s sarcasm. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Did Ty send you here?” He tried to keep the hope out of his voice. Livvy sighed.

“No. He’s moping around in his room, just like you were before I came in.”

“I wasn’t moping!” He lied.

Livvy rolled her eyes. “ _Boys_.”

“Tell me about it.” Kit lay back down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling once again. He was becoming quite familiar with that ceiling.

There was silence for a moment. When he finally spoke, it was with forced indifference.

“Is there a reason you came in here? Aside from wanting to scare me, of course.”

He couldn’t see Livvy, but she sounded offended when she answered. “I wanted to see you, dummy. And I don’t know when Ty plans to go anywhere near you, so I had to make my own plans.”

“So he’s avoiding me.”

“I mean, I didn’t say-”

“He’s avoiding me.” Kit sat up and looked at her. “I knew it. Thanks for clearing that up for me.”

“Kit…” her voice trailed off. Finally, she looked at the ground in defeat. “I don’t know what to say. I keep telling him to talk to you.”

“It’s fine, Livvy.” It was not even remotely fine. But it was his problem. His and Ty’s. They didn’t need to get Livvy any more involved than she already was. “You should probably go. You can’t spend too much time away from him, right? Or bad stuff happens.”

She heaved a dramatic sigh, which seemed excessive to Kit considering that, as a ghost, she had no need for oxygen. “Well, forgive me for wanting to hang out with one of the only people who can actually see me. It’s not like I missed you or anything.”

“Livvy.”

“I know, I know. I’ll see you around, Kit.”

She winked out of existence. Kit collapsed onto his bed once again.

Was that a new crack in the ceiling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates m/w/f!
> 
> Come talk to me on [Tumblr!](https://bcarstairs.tumblr.com/) My ask box is always open!
> 
> I strongly considered holding off on posting this fic because I think racial justice should be the focus of Pride celebrations this year and do not want to distract from that with my silly story about white boys falling in love, so I’m going to end this with a reminder that Pride was founded by Black trans women. They are the reason we have rights and they are the ones that need our support this month and always. While you celebrate Pride by reading about cis white gays, please remember to uplift and support the most vulnerable members of our community and consider donating to organizations like Black Lives Matter or the Center for Black Equity!
> 
> Title is from the song "Distance" by Christina Perri.


	2. Chapter 2

In the end, Kit found himself in the greenhouse. He didn’t even want to think about what time it was in Devon, but he was so worked up he knew there was no way he would be able to sleep any time soon.

He had only been to the greenhouse once before, but it seemed like the place where he was least likely to encounter another person. He had briefly considered the training room, but he was living in a building full of Nephilim, and even on the eve of a wedding, he didn’t want to bet on it being empty. 

Also, he was lazy.

After a bit of aimless wandering and trying to fool himself into thinking he was even remotely interested in literally anything in the greenhouse, he sat down on a little bench, and entertained himself by staring at the plants.

Yes, he was dealing with heartbreak by dramatically wandering through a garden and staring at flowers. Everyone has their coping mechanisms.

“Kit?”

For a second, Kit almost thought he was hallucinating. There was no way that the cause of all this moping was standing only a few feet away from him, headphones around his neck, staring at Kit with an intensity that brought a flush to his cheeks.

Kit leaped to his feet. “Ty,” he choked out. He was quite ashamed of the first thought that popped into his head when he saw his old friend, which was that he could now stop wondering if Ty had gotten hotter at the Scholomance. His second thought was he didn’t remember his heart doing this funny thing every time he saw Ty, and he would very much like it to stop because it was very inconvenient and embarrassing.

 _Fucking hell._ He was even more gone for this guy than he realized.

Ty had grown up a lot in the last few years. He was tall - definitely taller than Kit, who had not shot up quite as much as he would have liked. His face had lost some of the softness it had had at fifteen, and Kit was shocked to find that the other boy looked a lot like Julian had the first time they had met.

His brows were knitted in confusion now, his gaze darting over Kit but avoiding his eyes. His hands fiddled with something at his neck. Kit could not stop staring.

Ty’s shirts used to bunch up around his shoulders, made too wide for his tiny frame, but this one stretched just slightly over a chest that was definitely much broader than it had been two years ago. His hair was a little too long, arrow-straight and a bit messy. And those eyelashes… by the angel, Kit needed to put an end to this line of thinking _right away._

Livvy’s ghost was nowhere to be seen - Kit knew she could appear and disappear at will, and she probably got bored of following her twin around, but Kit would have liked to have her there as a buffer.

“I didn’t think you’d be here.” Ty’s voice was tentative. His hands were fluttering at his sides.

Kit shrugged one shoulder and fixed his gaze on one of the flower beds, feigning nonchalance. “Didn’t feel like talking to people. Figured this place would be quiet. You’re welcome to stay.”

He waited for Ty to excuse himself, or ask him to leave, but that didn’t happen. After a silent standoff, he shuffled over to the bench and sat down. Kit stayed standing.

Ty’s hands were still busy, now fluttering around his collarbone, playing with some necklace he must have started wearing for this very purpose. He didn’t look over at Kit, but stared at the ground in front of him.

“So, I’m probably the last person you want to see right now,” Kit said as casually as he could manage.

Ty frowned. “No.”

“Oh.” Kit’s stomach was in knots, his heart racing. “Okay.”

The silence was absolutely unbearable. Ty was sitting at the very edge of the bench, his body taut as his foot tapped against the ground and his fingers fiddled with his necklace. Kit could tell he was uncomfortable.

“I, uh,” he gestured vaguely around him. “I can leave. If you want.”

Ty’s gaze snapped up. “Do you want to leave?”

“Um. No?”

He seemed to relax slightly. “Then don’t.”

Kit nodded. This was unbearably awkward. He looked around, at the plants, at the trees, at the flowers, searching for _any_ possible topic of conversation. It had never been this hard with Ty before.

Did Ty really want him here? Ty didn’t _seem_ mad at him, and that was something, at least. Maybe Kit was making this whole thing out to be a bigger deal than it was. Maybe Ty just didn’t care either way.

“I try to come here every time I visit the New York Institute,” Ty said finally, looking away from Ty and out at the flowers. “Clary showed it to me a few years ago.”

“I can see why you like it,” Kit said, jumping at the opportunity to have an actual conversation. “It’s pretty.”

“They also have really cool bugs living in the plants.”

That surprised a chuckle out of Kit. “You would enjoy that. Why don’t they have one of these in L.A.?” he teased.

Ty sighed. “I asked for one, but there isn’t space.”

“Lame.”

They lapsed into silence again. Painful, uncomfortable, exceptionally awkward silence. Kit let his eyes wander, while the rest of him was very, _very_ aware of the fact that Ty was sitting only a few feet away from him and could stop sitting there at any moment if Kit did something wrong. When Ty didn’t seem at all interested in continuing the conversation, Kit decided to take a chance.

“Well,” he announced, with more confidence than he felt, “As much as I love this particular flowerbed, I would _love_ to see the rest of this greenhouse. And-” he extended his hand to Ty- “the bugs, if you’d like to join me.”

Ty’s head snapped up, his eyes fixing on a point just over Kit’s head. 

“You want me to walk with you?”

Kit dropped his hand, but kept his gaze steady. “Yeah. I do.”

“Why?”

Kit shrugged, hoping Ty couldn’t see how nervous he was “Guess I just missed hanging out with you.”

Ty regarded him for a moment, and Kit held his breath as he waited to be rejected. But Ty just looked at him.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?” he asked quizzically.

Kit was taken aback. “No. Of course not.”

“Okay.”

They strayed away from difficult topics. They strayed away from most topics, actually, the awkward silence between them interrupted only by comments on the plants and the bugs.

Ty had not been kidding about there being a lot of bugs in the greenhouse, and his face absolutely lit up every time he found a particularly unusual one. Kit was extremely afraid of them, and jumped away from Ty every time the other boy picked up a beetle or spider or centipede and held it out to him. Kit’s reaction seemed to amuse Ty greatly, and honestly, he would have spent hours checking out bugs in the greenhouse with Ty if it meant he could see the other boy so animated.

“Come on, it’s just a beetle!” Ty pleaded, holding out a bug almost the size of his hand. “It can’t hurt you! And you’ll never get the chance to see one in Devon!”

“And thank God for that,” Kit said, backing away. “Ty, I appreciate your enthusiam for this thing, but- oh, fuck!”

The beetle had flown out of Ty’s hand and right toward Kit’s face. Only his Shadowhunter reflexes saved him, as he ducked at the last minute and watched the beetle fly onto a nearby tree.

“It has WINGS?”

Ty was laughing. Kit put his hand on his chest in an attempt to steady his racing heart. “Why didn’t you tell me it had _wings_?”

“It was just saying hi!” Ty protested.

Kit gave in and laughed along with him, and soon they fell into comfortable silence. Ty looked up at the sky through the greenhouse roof and seemed surprised to see that it was pitch black outside.

“Do you know what time it is?”

Kit shook his head. “Late, I think. Everyone was asleep when I left my room, and we’ve been here a while. But jet lag is confusing me.”

“Me too.”

“Is it still called ‘jet lag’ if you’re travelling by portal?” Kit mused aloud. “I guess there isn’t a better word for it, is there?”

Ty ignored him.

“I should probably go back,” he said. “I haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”

“I’ll go with you, then,” Kit offered, maybe a little too eagerly. “I should probably get some sleep.”

They made their way to the exit, and then, as quietly as possible, down the stairs. There was no sign of activity in the Institute. The corridors were completely silent, and the witchlights had been put out. Clearly, they had spent a lot more time in the greenhouse than they had realized.

“Well, this is my room,” Kit announced regretfully, expecting Ty to wish him good night and continue down the hall. But the other boy stopped at the same time as he did.

“Guess I’m right across from you.”

Well, if that wasn’t a stroke of fantastic luck.

Ty turned toward his door, and froze.

It was half open.

Kit didn’t quite understand what the problem was - it was unlikely Ty was keeping anything valuable there, and even more unlikely that any of the Institute's current occupants would ever steal from him - but he figured it was bad based on the look of absolute horror on Ty’s face.

“Ty. Is something wrong?”

He burst through the door and scanned the room. His hands went up to grip his necklace. He was breathing hard. 

“Ty.” Kit approached him carefully. He placed his hands on Ty’s shoulders, but the other boy shrugged him off.

“I didn’t- I wouldn’t- I don’t know how-”

“Ty,” he repeated. “Whatever happened, it’s going to be fine. We’ll figure it out.”

Ty shook his head vigorously. “You don’t understand. I wasn’t supposed to bring her at all.”

“Her?”

“His Carpathian lynx,” Livvy’s ghost piped up cheerfully, appearing at Ty’s shoulder. Ty glared at her.

“ _Lynx_?” Kit’s voice echoed through the corridor. Not wanting to wake up any of the others, he reached behind him and shut the door. “I’m sorry, are you saying that you were keeping a _lynx_ in this room?”

Ty nodded.

“And it escaped.”

“ _She_ escaped,” Ty corrected. “Her name is Irene.”

Kit opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Ty’s hands were fluttering at his sides. He was practically vibrating with nervous energy. 

“She’s never been on her own before. I couldn’t leave her. Julian didn’t even want me to bring her to Los Angeles, but Helen said it was okay as long as she spent most of her time outside and never got loose in the institute. She said I couldn’t take her to New York, but I figured if I kept her in my room, no one would have to know.”

“So you snuck her in here? How did you even _do_ that?” Kit didn’t know a lot about lynxes, but he was pretty sure they were on the large side when it came to cats. Definitely too big to fit under a jacket.

“Mark.”

Of course Mark was involved in this. You hadn’t truly lost your mind until you’d asked Mark Blackthorn for help in doing something every adult in your life had specifically told you not to do. Kit turned to Livvy, who simply held her hands up in a sign of innocence.

“So.” Kit said slowly. “Where do you think she might have gone?”

Ty’s eyes snapped up to meet his. “You’re going to help me look for her?”

“No, I thought I’d let your pet lynx run through the institute for a bit, just to see what happens.”

“Oh.” Ty looked disappointed.

Kit winced. “Sorry. Sarcasm. Of course I’ll help you.”

Ty’s expression was unreadable as he turned toward the back of his room, where he had carefully arranged all of his belongings on a small shelf. He shrugged on his gear jacket, placed a witchlight in the pocket, and grabbed his stele, then walked up to Kit and extended his hand.

“We’re going to need runes.”

“This is by far the strangest mission I have ever been on,” Kit muttered as he pushed up his sleeve and placed his hand, palm up, in Ty’s.

Ty’s hands were cold and gentle, as they had been the first time he had given Kit a rune - the first time _anyone_ had given him a rune. His fingers wrapped delicately around Kit’s wrist to hold his arm in place as he placed the stele on Kit’s forearm and carefully traced the runes for soundlessness, night vision, stealth, and surefootedness. Kit had to remember to breathe.

When Tiberius finished his last Mark and raised his head, his cheeks were slightly flushed. He quickly handed Kit his stele and started to unbutton his shirt. Kit nearly choked.

Ty’s hands stilled. He looked up in concern.

“Are you okay?”

_No._

“Yes.”

Kit quickly got to work, moving Ty’s collar out of the way so that he could press the stele to his friend’s collarbone. Then his eye caught on something glittering at the base of Ty’s throat, and he completely forgot what he was doing.

It was the first time he had gotten a good look at the pendant Ty had been playing with all day. It wasn’t Livvy’s locket, though he was wearing that as well, nor was it a fidget toy like the ones Julian had made for him back in Los Angeles. Hanging from Ty’s neck, partially hidden by his headphones, was a tiny silver heron. 

About two years ago, Kit had given that necklace to Magnus Bane, so that the warlock might enchant it to protect Ty against the negative effects of the necromantic ritual that had brought his sister partially back from the dead. He didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him before that Ty might be wearing it - he had meant for him to wear it, after all. He couldn’t explain why, but seeing the necklace on Ty did something very funny to Kit’s heart.

He reached out and touched the pendant, his other hand still holding Ty’s stele. He felt the other boy’s breath hitch as Kit’s fingers brushed his bare skin.

“You’re wearing it.”

Ty didn’t ask why Kit was reacting like this.

“It helps,” he said. “To… protect me. And Livvy.” It was the first time that night that he had acknowledged his past dabblings in necromancy, and the consequences of those dabblings.

“I’m glad.”

With great difficulty, Kit forced his hand away from the pendant and back to Tiberius’s shirt. Ty’s skin felt hot under his, and standing this close, he could tell that the other boy’s breathing had gotten heavier. He forced himself not to think about that, and quickly got to work scrawling runes over his friend’s (very bare, very smooth, very muscular) chest. They weren’t the best runes he had ever drawn, but hey, he was still kind of new to this whole thing, and his limited Shadowhunter training hadn’t exactly covered the art of keeping one’s hand steady while drawing on the bare chest of a sinfully attractive man that one had been hopelessly pining after for over two years. 

Maybe that kind of stuff was in the advanced course.

When he was done, it took physical effort to tear himself away from Ty and take a step back.

“Thanks.” Ty buttoned up his shirt, and took his stele back from Kit. Had the room always been this hot? It felt very hot right now.

“So.” Kit’s voice was embarrassingly hoarse. He hoped Ty wouldn’t notice. His hand went up to tug on his hair awkwardly. “Um. Where do you think this lynx-”

“Irene.”

“Irene, yeah. Where do you think she would go first?”

Ty twirled his stele between his fingers, clearly deep in thought. “The kitchen, definitely.”

“The kitchen. Right. Yeah. Guess we should go there, then.” He marched past Ty and out into the hallway, trying suspiciously hard to pretend everything was normal and that there wasn’t a crazy amount of tension in their air right now. Once they had safely closed the door behind them, Ty turned to him with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Come on, Watson. I think we have a lynx to rescue.”


	3. Chapter 3

They did not find Irene in the kitchen, but it was quite obvious that she had been there.

The garbage, already overflowing, had been completely upended, its contents spread all over the floor. Takeout containers had been torn to shreds and thrown around the room. There were noodles hanging from the ceiling. Someone had thrown out a tomato soup, which was now smeared all over the floor, windows, and walls. There was even some on the fridge door, which thankfully had held up and was still safely closed. Kit could make out red paw prints in some places. If not for the slightly overpowering smell of tomato, one might mistake it for a crime scene.

He would never say it to Ty, but this was probably the kind of thing Julian had been trying to avoid in keeping Irene out of the L.A. Institute.

If Ty was surprised to see the mess his overgrown pet had made, he didn’t show it. Nor did he seem particularly concerned about cleaning it up. Instead, he was focused on the paw prints.

“She’s tracking tomato sauce all over the institute. All we have to do is follow the trail. Look!” He held his witchlight out into the hallway, illuminating a faint trail of red. “She must be so hungry.” His shoulders slumped.

“Well, it’s a good thing she’s leaving a trail of destruction in her wake,” Kit replied cheerfully. He took off down the hallway, Ty trailing behind him with the witchlight.

They followed the trail through winding corridors. It got fainter as they went along, the splotches of red becoming fewer and farther in between, but Ty proved to be fantastic at picking up on subtle hints that Irene had been somewhere. Finally, they ended up in the music room.

Kit gasped as soon as Ty held up his witchlight.

“Oh, you guys are in _trouble_ ,” said Livvy.

Kit did not comment on her assumption that he would bear some of the blame for this disaster. He was too busy looking at the scene in front of him.

The music room had been decorated for a wedding reception. Elegant gold streamers hung from the walls and the windows, and each table bore a gold tablecloth, with a bouquet in the middle. In the centre, there was a giant cake. The whole ensemble looked like it had taken a very long time to put together, though Kit knew that Magnus had done it with magic in only a day.

It also looked like it had taken Irene very little time to tear it all apart.

The cake barely looked like a cake anymore. It had been split right down the middle, and apparently thrown all around the room. By the looks of it, Irene might have rolled around in it. It was certainly not edible.

As for the rest of the room, Kit saw a few broken vases, one torn up tablecloth, and a few broken streamers, but really, after you’d seen the cake, it was kind of hard to focus on anything else.

“There’s an open window! Look!”

Sure enough, one of the windows had indeed opened toward the inside. How a lynx had managed to do that, Kit did not need or want to know, but it was quite evident from the smears of icing that Ty’s precious pet had escaped through it.

Ty had already run over to the window and started lifting himself up onto the windowsill when Kit registered what was happening.

“Um, Ty? Shouldn’t we be concerned about the fact that Simon and Isabelle’s wedding reception has been ruined?”

There was genuine confusion on Ty’s face when he looked back at Kit, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that that might be a problem.

“Magnus can fix it. We need to find Irene first.”

He swung himself up onto the windowsill. Up close, it was clear the window was broken - that must be how Irene had managed to escape. Kit grabbed his arm.

“Are you out of your _mind?”_ he hissed. “We don’t have weapons. I don’t even have a _jacket_. I have no idea how much battery is left on my phone. And it’s the middle of the night!”

“I have a dagger,” Ty replied calmly. “There are runes to keep you warm - I can help you apply them. And we won’t be gone long. Irene wouldn’t have wandered far.”

“How do you _know_ that?”

But Ty had already extracted himself from Kit’s grip and dropped down onto the street. Kit clambered up onto the windowsill, moving much less gracefully than Ty had, and looked down to where his friend was grinning up at him.

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Kit?” He yelled. “Don’t tell me you’ve changed that much since I last saw you!”

 _You have no idea_ , he thought to himself, and followed his friend into the night.

* * *

Despite himself, Kit had to admit that this was a lot of fun.

As much as he loved living with Jem and Tessa, spending all his time with them meant that he had not done something this monumentally stupid in a very long time, and he was enjoying himself immensely.

Ty, who had been cooped up in the Scholomance for the last two years, seemed to be feeling much the same way. His voice rose with excitement every time he figured out a new way to track Irene. Kit had to admit that he was good. They might find this lynx sooner than he realized.

Of course, once they found her, there would be the matter of cleaning up the Institute.

Kit had seen enough movies to know how this was supposed to go. But he, unlike so many movie characters, was smart enough to know that he and Ty were definitely not capable of baking a new wedding cake overnight, and would definitely not be able to do so without anyone noticing what they had done.

Which left one option: magic.

“So,” he said casually. “We’re probably going to need a warlock to clean up the mess in the Institute.”

Ty glared at him out of the corner of his eye, as he swung up into a tree to get a better vantage point.

“We’re not going to the Shadow Market.”

Kit gaped up at him. “How did you know I was going to say that?”

“You’re too embarrassed to go to Magnus, and you think we can pull this off on our own.” Kit couldn’t see his face anymore, as he disappeared into the foliage. “But, as you pointed out, we have exactly one weapon between the two of us, I doubt you have any money on you, and neither of us are popular at the Shadow Market.”

“I can hold my own!” He yelled indignantly.

“Magnus won’t tell anyone. Not if we ask him not to.” From the sound of Ty’s voice, he was quite far up the tree. Kit was nervous, even though he knew perfectly well what a good climber Ty was.

“But what if Alec answers the door?”

“Call him.”

“He might not pick up!”

“I could wake him up,” suggested Livvy. “He can see me.”

Kit turned to look at her. “Could you handle going that far away?”

She nodded.

Kit sighed. As much as he hated the idea of going to Magnus for help, Ty was right. This was the only solution that made sense. He instructed Livvy to wake up Magnus and tell the warlock to call Kit, and she disappeared to do just that.

Ty dropped out of the air and landed in a crouch right in front of Kit. “I think I saw her!”

“Okay, first of all, there was no need to show off like that,” Kit complained, referring to Ty’s dramatic descent from the tree. “Second of all, you are scary good at this. Where do we go?”

Ty led the way, and Kit followed. It wasn’t long before he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Dreading the conversation that was about to happen, he picked up and braced himself.

“Do I want to know?” Magnus’s voice crackled through the phone speaker. He did not sound happy.

“Um.” Kit winced, following Ty down a back alley. “ _Want_ might not be the right word…”

“I get it,” Magnus snapped. “Just tell me. What did you and Tiberius do?”

“Well,” he said carefully, “it wasn’t so much _us_ -”

“Christopher.”

“It was a lynx,” he blurted out. “Ty’s pet lynx escaped and destroyed the music room.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Kit stopped as Ty did. Ty ducked down to examine a paw print.

“Magnus? You still there?”

“I’m sorry. The reception must not be very good over here. I thought I heard you say that there was a _lynx_ in the Institute?”

“Her name is Irene.”

“I don’t care what her name is! Do I need to be worried about my children being eaten in their sleep?”

“No! No. Definitely not. She’s not even in the institute anymore. Your kids are safe.” 

“Irene doesn’t hunt kids,” Ty added, clearly offended. “Only small animals.”

“Look,” said Kit into the phone. “The important thing is, we’re taking care of the lynx situation.”

“You’re _taking care of it?_ Where is it now?”

“That,” said Kit, looking around him, “is a _fantastic_ question.”

“You don’t KNOW?”

“Well, she’s not in the Institute,” Kit reassured him hurriedly. “That part we’re almost certain of.”

“Not in the Institute? Christopher Jonathan Herondale, where on earth are you right now?”

“Unclear. Look, Magnus, we really need you to fix the music room.”

“Shadowhunters,” he muttered. “Just once, _once_ in my life, I’d like to hear a ‘please, Magnus, I’d really appreciate it if you cleaned up this mess for me’ or ‘oh, you’re sleeping? _And_ on vacation? Why don’t I call you during your work hours instead?'”

“Technically, you did call me.”

“This is not the time for- oh, good lord, that is a mess.”

“So can you fix it?” Kit asked eagerly. He gave Ty a thumbs up.

Magnus sighed. “The decorations? Yes. The cake? Not unless you want it to taste like cat fur.”

“Lynx fur.”

“Do you want my help or not, Herondale?” Magnus growled.

“Sorry! Yes. Look. Is there anything you can do about the cake?”

“I can summon a new wedding cake from a mundane bakery,” he said reluctantly, “then change the colour of the icing. Is that good enough for you?”

“Yes!” Kit punched the air. “That’s perfect! Thank you so much, Magnus!”

“Most Shadowhunters are a little more concerned when I steal from mundanes.”

“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to. Listen, there’s just one more thing we need help with.”

“Is it finding your lynx? Because I’m not helping you with that.”

“No. It’s about the kitchen.”

There was another pause.

“I am over _eight hundred_ years old-”

"Tessa says that's a lie."

“I am over seven hundred years old," he said more forcefully. "and I have not had a moment of peace since the day I decided to help William Herondale. Do you have any idea how much of my life has been spent cleaning up after Herondales, and Lightwoods, and Blackthorns, and Fairchilds?”

“I mean, you did marry a Lightwood,” Kit pointed out.

“Just tell me what happened to the kitchen,” he grumbled.

“I think you’ll know when you see it.”

A long, drawn out sigh sounded through the phone’s speakers. Then, the call ended. Kit pocketed his phone.

“So? Is he going to help?” Ty asked.

“I think so?” 

Ty grinned. “Told you.”

“Whatever. Any leads?”

Ty frowned at the pavement. “She was here, and recently. I’m hoping she’ll hear me, or smell me, when I get close. She’s always been able to find me.” 

Doubt had started to creep into his voice, for the first time since they had set out on their little quest. Kit felt a sudden surge of sympathy for him.

“We’ll find her,” he reassured his friend.

They walked in silence for a bit, Ty looking out for tracks.

“She’s been so stressed lately,” he said eventually, one of his hands busy fiddling with an empty lighter he had pulled out his pocket. “That’s why she ran away, I just know it. She was so used to living in my room at the Scholomance, and then we went to Los Angeles, and she didn’t even have a chance to settle in before we were leaving for New York. And then she was alone and the door was open, because I was- I was distracted.”

It suddenly occurred to Kit that Ty, who got anxious whenever his routine was disrupted, was probably talking about more than just his pet. Kit opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a screech coming from a nearby alley.

“Demons!”

Tiberius leapt into action, racing down the street in the direction the noise had come from. Kit ran after him - belatedly, and not quite as quickly. He caught up to Ty seconds after the other boy had located his pet.

His pet lynx, who was currently fighting a demon over a dead raccoon.

No, Kit did not know what kind of demon it was, nor did he want to. All he knew was that Irene was about to get devoured by a demon, and if he and Ty didn’t get out of here soon, they would be next.

He reached for his friend, but Ty had already drawn his dagger and launched himself at the creature. He somersaulted in the air, and landed on the demon’s back, slashing downward over and over again with his knife. It was extremely hot, but also extremely terrifying.

The demon screeched, and Tiberius was flung off to the side. He hit the ground hard, his only weapon flying out of his hand. Before his mind had even registered what he was doing, Kit was standing between Ty and the demon, screaming for it to leave the other boy alone. He thrust his hands out, willing his powers to kick in and save their asses, but nothing happened. The demon pounced. At the last minute, Kit backflipped out the way, landing on his feet.

Irene was attacking the demon again, claws out. He heard Ty screaming behind him, and then, suddenly, there was a flash of blue light, and the demon cringed away. Tiberius threw his dagger, and it lodged itself in the demon’s flesh. It screamed and folded in on itself. The dagger clattered to the ground.

For a second, Kit wondered if his powers had worked after all. And then a figure clad in silk pyjamas appeared where the demon had just been.

“What the _hell_ do you two think you’re doing?”

“Magnus,” Kit sighed in relief. “How did you even find us?”

“Your Snapchat map,” said Magnus, holding up his phone. “Isn’t mundane technology amazing?”

Kit definitely did _not_ remember adding Magnus on Snapchat.

“I have half a mind to leave you out here to get devoured by demons,” Magnus said, the amusement gone from his voice. “Or worse, tell everyone back at the Institute exactly what happened tonight. But-” He held up a hand against Ty’s noise of protest- “because it is a special occasion, and I do not want to ruin this weekend for my friends, I will settle for berating you verbally as I escort you home to your beds.”

Magnus’s gaze turned to Irene.

“I suppose this is the famous lynx? She’s grown since I last saw her.”

“She was just scared!” Ty pleaded, as if afraid of what Magnus might do to his pet. His hands were fluttering at his sides. “I left my door open, and she ran out, but it won’t happen again. I promise. No one will even know she’s there.”

Magnus did not look impressed, but apparently this was a battle he did not consider worth fighting in the middle of the night. He sighed.

“I’m going to hold you to that, Tiberius.”

Ty just nodded, and knelt down to make sure Irene was alright. After a quick conversation and a few scratches behind the ears, he stood up.

“I’m ready to go back to the Institute now.”

“Oh, thank goodness! I was wondering how long I’d have to stand here. Come on, boys, I believe I promised you two a verbal beatdown.”

* * *

Magnus kept his promise. 

He strode through shadowy back alleys with the confidence of someone who knew they were the scariest thing out on the streets, all the while listing off all the irresponsible things Ty and Kit had done tonight, and all the ways in which they now owed him.

“I prefer cash payments,” he grumbled, “not that your crowd ever listens.”

They reached the institute, and Kit ran up to open the doors for them. Ty’s hands were full, as he had decided to take the extra precaution of scooping Irene up into his arms, upside down so that her paws were in the air. The lynx was way too big to be carried, and Kit could barely see Ty behind her.

Magnus looked uncomfortable throughout the entire elevator ride, his eyes never leaving the Carpathian lynx purring in Ty’s arms. When they reached their floor, the boys thanked him profusely as they headed off toward their rooms.

Kit opened Ty’s door for him, and was surprised when the other boy walked right back out into the hallway once he had safely deposited his pet.

“I should probably get her something from the fridge,” he explained. “Just in case.”

“Do you need any help?” As tired as Kit was, he wasn’t ready to leave Ty’s presence just yet.

Ty reassured him that he would be fine doing it on his own, it wasn’t that far anyway, and seemed about to leave when he remembered something. His eyes snapped up to meet Kit’s just for a second, then fixed on his shoulder.

“Thanks, by the way. For coming with me.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he left it at that. Kit smiled.

“No problem. I had fun.”

The corner of Ty’s mouth quirked up just slightly, and he turned down the hallway. Something about his stance was off - had been off since the fight with the demon - and Kit thought about the realization he had had when Ty had mentioned Irene feeling anxious about changing locations twice in a matter of days.

“Ty?”

Kit’s voice was hesitant, but Tiberius stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Are you okay? I mean, with all this. Being in New York, and stuff. I know it’s a lot. And I know it’s been a while, but if you need anything, I’m right across the hall.”

“I know where your room is.”

“Yeah. I just mean…” he hesitated. “If you ever wanted to talk. You could talk to me.”

Ty’s expression was unreadable. His hand was gripping the Herondale pendant at his throat. “So you’re really not mad at me?” he asked hesitantly.

It was the second time he had asked that question, and Kit almost wanted to laugh. _Mad?_ Did Ty really think he was still mad about the necromancy? Surely he understood that it was more complicated than that?

“No,” he said simply. “Of course I’m not mad.”

Ty smiled then, his rare, sunshine-over-the-water smile. Kit didn’t know what he had done to deserve it, but he smiled back, and was still smiling when he returned to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

“Shit,” Kit muttered as he dug through his suitcase for the third time, throwing items all over the floor and making an absolute mess of his bedroom. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit!_ ”

He was an idiot.

He had brought this on himself, really. What kind of idiot packed for a fucking _wedding_ by throwing things into his suitcase at random and hoping for the best? This had pretty much been destined to happen.

All things considered, he hadn’t done too badly. He had dress shoes. He had a jacket, though it didn’t quite match his dress pants. Said pants were an old pair that were slightly too short on him, but it wasn’t that noticeable. He had a nice blue tie that brought out the colour of his eyes. He had even brought a dress shirt! He had, however, failed to notice that said dress shirt was stained and missing two buttons, probably from when he had yanked it over his head and thrown it into the suitcase.

Why was he like this?

 _Focus_ , he told himself. He needed a game plan. Wearing what he had was out of the question; he’d rather throw himself out the window. Asking someone to portal him to Devon so he could grab one of his shirts was embarrassing and a last resort. He didn’t have time to go shopping. There might have been time for shopping if he had checked his suitcase last night, or if he hadn’t slept in until noon today, but alas, Kit was an idiot, and time travel was not yet possible for Shadowhunters. Under normal circumstances, he might have gone to Magnus and asked him to magic him a new shirt, but after last night, that was definitely out of the question.

Which left one option: borrowing someone else’s clothes.

And as fate would have it, there was only one person close to his size in this Institute.

He jumped up from the floor, pulled on a hoodie, and ran out into the hallway to knock on Ty’s door.

When Tiberius appeared in the doorway, Kit almost forgot his own name.

The other boy was wearing a suit and, unsurprisingly, he looked fantastic. He could have fit right in on the walls of the L.A. Institute, Kit thought, or in Tessa’s old photographs of Edwardian-era balls, all monochrome and elegant, not a hair out of place. He was very pretty, and Kit was very, very gay.

“Kit?”

Kit snapped back to himself and remembered his mission. He forced his gaze up to Ty’s face - which didn’t work that well anyways, as it was a very pretty face, very distracting - and tried to sound normal and not at all like he was on the brink of drooling over his friend who was very much _not interested._

“Right. Sorry. Can I come in?”

He hadn’t planned to ask that, but Ty stepped aside, looking apprehensive. His room looked exactly the same as it had last night - except that Irene the Carpathian lynx was now sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed, Livvy floating next to her. Kit gave her a wide berth, remembering how Church responded to being woken up, and rubbed his arm, where the claw marks still had not completely gone away.

“Is there a reason you’re here?” asked Ty, closing the door behind him. When he turned around, Kit noticed, for the first time, that there were dark circles under his eyes. He must not have slept well.

Kit quickly explained his situation, which Livvy thought was hilarious, and Ty pulled out the extra shirt he had brought “just in case,” which looked like it would fit him just fine. Kit proclaimed him a life saver.

“Kit?” Ty’s voice was tentative, his right hand once again fiddling with the empty lighter he had taken out his pocket. “Can I ask you something?”

Kit blinked. “Of course.”

“If you’re not mad at me, then why didn’t you write?”

Kit felt his cheeks start to heat up. He didn’t want to talk about this. At all. He had forgotten this about Ty. How blunt he always was.

“Guess I was just embarrassed,” he said with a shrug that he hoped conveyed just how extremely chill he was definitely feeling about his whole conversation.

“Why?”

His face was definitely bright red now. Would it be too weird if he jumped out the window right now? He kind of wanted to jump out the window.

“I guess…” he searched for the right words. “I mean, I said a lot of things. To you. That I probably shouldn’t have said. And I thought you might hate me after that.”

“I didn’t hate you.”

“Oh. Cool.”

Ty gave him a weird look, but he didn’t say anything more. Kit reached up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. By the angel, it was hot in here.

“I should probably go,” he announced, mentally calculating how much time he had left before the wedding and how much trouble he would be in if he was late.

Ty agreed, and Kit stepped out the door, clutching the shirt to his chest and thanking his friend, again, for the huge favour.

* * *

The shirt was a bit big on him, but it fit, and within minutes Kit was admiring his reflection in the mirror, relieved to find that he looked presentable, if a bit disheveled. He wasn’t sure that he was attractive enough to pull off the look - he was no Jace, for all that people might compare them - but hopefully people would find it charming and not rude.

There was a knock at his door. He opened it half-hoping it would be Ty but, unsurprisingly, he found Tessa instead.

“Just checking in,” she said pleasantly. “Mina has apparently decided she doesn’t like her dress anymore. I see you’ve managed to put something together.” She reached out to brush something off his jacket. “I was worried.”

“I told you I was fine!” he replied with an enthusiasm he didn’t really feel. Tessa just pursed her lips and tugged at one of his curls.

“You need to cut your hair.”

He ducked away from her hands and shut the door behind him, joining her in the hallway. “Too late for that, I guess. Are we needed downstairs?”

“I guess we might as well head down.” Tessa was wearing one of the old fashioned dresses that Jem liked so much, this one a light pink with gold lacing. Her Jade pendant glittered at her throat, as it always did. She didn’t look even the slightest bit out of place walking through the halls of the Institute, though Kit had to admit that Tessa had a way of looking perfectly in her element no matter where she was or what she was wearing. She, unlike Jem, appeared to have mastered the art of blending into whatever era she was living in.

They ran into two people in the elevator. Kit had never met either of them, but it would not have taken a genius to figure out that the small red-headed woman was Clary Fairchild’s mother. Which would make the man standing next to her Lucian Graymark, the man whose farm had become the new Academy. 

Lucian moved to shake Kit’s hand as the two women embraced. He was deceptively strong, and Kit remembered, belatedly, that the man was a werewolf. The four of them exchanged pleasantries, and Jocelyn exclaimed over how much Kit looked like Jace.

Kit heard this all the time, and still didn’t know how to respond. He really didn’t see it. He and Jace shared the same hair, but the resemblance stopped there. Jace’s eyes were golden and interesting, while Kit’s were plain blue; Jace was pure muscle, while Kit was probably never going to have abs; Jace was the best Shadowhunter of his generation, while Kit still fell on his sword at least once a month.

The two of them looked nothing alike. People just thought they did because they were looking for similarities.

The elevator dinged and the four of them stepped out into the entrance of the Institute, which now looked very much like the church it had once been. Or at least, Kit assumed this was what a church looked like. He had never actually been inside one. Johnny Rook had not exactly been a religious man.

People had started to fill out the pews. Kit was surprised to find that he recognized almost everyone, with the exception of a few downworlders that Simon and Isabelle must know from New York. Mark and Cristina sat together, chatting with Emma, who was turned around on the bench in front of them, arms resting on the back of the pew. Alec and Magnus were talking to their boys a ways away, Maryse Lightwood hovering over their shoulders. And next to them, Jace and Clary, the latter rushing over to greet them as they entered the room.

Kit was happy to join in the conversation. He spent so much of his time hidden away in Devon that it was always kind of surprising to come to America and find everyone totally fascinated with him and eager to welcome him into their family. Today, the room practically buzzed with excitement. Clary was bouncing on the balls of her feet, beaming as she talked about Simon and Isabelle and how happy she was for them and reassuring Tessa that, yes, she and Jace were planning their own wedding, though it wouldn’t be for a few months yet. She shot a worried glance at her mother at that last part, but Jocelyn only pursed her lips.

So maybe not everyone was okay with the Shadowhunter tradition of marrying young.

Clary’s attention was suddenly diverted to something behind Kit. “I’m needed elsewhere,” she announced, with a hand on Kit’s shoulder. “You guys go find your seats. I’ll talk to you later.” And with that, she darted off, most likely to join her _parabatai_.

Kit and Tessa slid into an empty pew and were soon joined by Jem, who, despite the fact that he had apparently spent the last half hour wrestling a screaming toddler into a dress she had suddenly decided she hated, was a perfect image of patience.

“See? Mum’s wearing a pink dress too,” he said brightly. “You’re matching!” 

Mina, unimpressed, crossed her arms, but stayed put in her seat. “Don’t wanna be matching!”

Tessa leaned across Kit to smooth her daughter’s dress and scowl at her. “Well, there’s no time to change out of it, is there? Now, you remember what we talked about, yes? Are we going to talk during the ceremony?”

“No,” Mina grumbled.

“And what are going to do instead?”

“Be very quiet.”

“Good girl. There’ll be cake and kids to play with afterward. You’ll have a great time, I promise.”

Kit hid a smile, knowing just how close they had come to not having any cake at all. He grabbed Mina’s hand and shot her a conspiratory grin as the last of the guests took their seats and the music started to play.

Kit had never been to a wedding before - unless one counted Magnus and Alec's, which he had only watched from afar - and he was not particularly knowledgeable about Shadowhunter weddings. He was curious about how they went.

Isabelle walked down the aisle first, looking absolutely radiant in a beautiful gold gown, arm-in-arm with Alec Lightwood, whose eyes practically glowed with pride. Tessa murmured her appreciation, and Kit couldn’t help but agree. He felt Mina tug on his hand.

“She’s _so_ pretty!” Mina whispered, her eyes wide as saucers. Kit put a finger to his lips.

“I know. You can tell her that later, okay?” He whispered. Mina nodded, remembering her promise to stay quiet, and sat back with her hands tightly clasped in her lap, a serious expression taking over her face. Kit grinned and patted her on the head.

Simon and Isabelle were both standing at the altar now, Simon staring at his bride as if he couldn’t quite believe that she was real and that he was actually marrying her. Alec officiated - his speech was short and to-the-point, but spoke of love prevailing despite terrible odds, and people bringing out the best in each other. They exchanged runes, Alec pronounced them married, and the room erupted in cheers.

“Now I talk to her?” Asked Mina, standing up on the pew. Kit scooped her up into his arms as everyone started to file out.

“Not yet, Min-Min. First we gotta get some cake.”

She screeched and clapped her hands in excitement and Kit, with a wink at Tessa, carried her off to the music room for the reception.

* * *

Magnus had done a fantastic job with the music room. Nobody could have possibly guessed that it had been completely destroyed by a lynx only a few hours previously, and if Kit overheard Clary confusedly remark that she could have _sworn_ the cake had had five layers yesterday, he hoped everyone else would chalk it up to poor memory resulting from stress. His eyes had found Ty’s and Livvy’s across the room, and they had shared a smile.

He stood against the wall now, holding his second slice of cake in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. Mina had finally run off to play with the other kids, after spending about an hour clinging to Kit’s leg and shyly complimenting people on their outfits as she tried to work up the courage to approach the kids. Kit had sympathized with her, and thought that Tessa shouldn’t have gotten Mina’s hopes up with promises of kids to play with without mentioning that they were _big kids_. Thank goodness for Max Lightwood-Bane noticing them and dragging Mina over.

Now, without Mina to look after, Kit was watching Ty. He had spent the last hour or so trying to distract himself with idle conversation and cake and champagne, but unfortunately his brain - or perhaps his heart, he wasn’t sure which - absolutely refused to relent and he remained infuriatingly aware of exactly where Ty was at every moment. The other boy had spent most of the last hour in his room - unsurprising, knowing how he felt about crowds - but he was back now, with his headphones over his ears, loading his plate with food that Kit suspected was mostly meant for Irene.

“You know, you _could_ just go and talk to him,” said Aline Penhallow, appearing at his side. Kit jumped and almost dropped his cake, which would have been extremely upsetting. _Shadowhunters_ , he thought. He still wasn’t used to the way they moved so silently.

Aside from the previous night’s gathering in the kitchen, Kit had not seen Aline since he had left Los Angeles. She still terrified him. She was dressed fairly innocently in a dark blue dress, with sparkly pins holding her short hair back on one side, but he remembered the way she had bossed everyone around after Livvy’s death, when Helen had been too hurt to be anything but nice. She was _not_ someone Kit ever wanted to cross.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said innocently, but he knew he had been caught. Aline’s gaze was following his, an amused smirk playing across her features.

“They miss you, too, you know,” she said. “The Blackthorns. They’re all too afraid to come talk to you. But I’m not.”

Kit laughed. Aline did not.

“I’m serious about talking to him,” she said, her steely gaze meeting his. “I don’t know what you said to that kid before you left, but you broke his heart, and everyone else’s too, and you are going to fix it.”

Kit scoffed. “I didn’t break his heart.”

If anything, Ty had broken _his_ heart. Ty had certainly been hurt by Kit’s actions - leaving without saying goodbye was a dick move, and nobody wanted their best friend to say they wished you’d never met - but in order to have your heart broken, you needed to actually _care_ about the person, and Ty had never cared. Not enough, at least.

Aline didn’t look convinced.

“I still think you should talk to him,” she said after a pause.

Then she walked away, leaving Kit alone to continue staring.

He thought of the story Livvy had once told him about Paige Ashdown. How Ty had thought they were friends, and then Paige had mocked him and thrown him aside, and Ty hadn’t been able to understand what he had done wrong. Had Kit done that to Ty?

He thought of the other boy’s expression last night. The way he had asked, twice in a matter of hours, and then again in the morning, if Kit was mad at him. Kit had spent all this time being mad at Ty for not liking him _enough_ , but maybe he needed to let that go and realize that the other boy clearly didn't hate him.

He watched Ty sneak away through the front entrance, still carrying a heaping plate full of food. Then he watched Mark Blackthorn sneak out right behind him, carrying an even bigger plate of food, and stifled a laugh. Who knows what assumptions people would make?

Maybe Kit hadn’t burned all his bridges with his old friend. Ty had, after all, seemed very concerned about whether or not Kit was mad at him, and so far hadn’t done anything to suggest he didn’t want to hang out with Kit.

Ty was never going to love Kit the way Kit loved him. But he seemed willing to at least be friends, and well, if that was all Kit was going to get, then he would take it.

In the centre of the room, people had started dancing. Kit was perfectly content to stand back and watch everyone else embarrass themselves - he wasn’t big on dancing - but soon Mina came careening toward him, and, well, he wouldn’t be a very good brother if he didn’t down the last of his champagne, put away his plate and his glass, and swing his sister around the room for a little bit.

He and Mina danced together in their living room all the time. They made an excellent pair.

When Kit was all danced out and Mina had found a new partner in Jace, Kit took his rightful spot against the wall and found Ty watching him, an amused smile playing across his face.

“Impressed?” Kit joked.

“Very.”

They laughed, watching Jace spin Mina in circles until she was dizzy and probably in danger of throwing up.

“I was thinking,” Ty began, slowly, and Kit snapped back to attention, “the L.A. Institute is throwing a big Christmas party this year. You guys should come.”

Kit started. “Wait, really?”

“Helen thinks it’s a good time for unity,” he explained, “so we’re inviting the entire conclave, and the downworlder community.”

“But… you want me to be there.”

Ty took his time answering. His hands fiddled with his necklace. He had taken off his headphones for this conversation - the first time he had taken them off all day, except for his trips to his room, as far as Kit could tell - and he seemed on edge with all the noise around him.

“I missed you.”

“I…” Kit didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Was Ty really asking Kit to spend time with him? “That sounds great.”

“Cool.” Ty ducked his head, hiding the tiniest of smiles. “It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah,” Kit agreed, as he watched Ty slide his headphones back over his ears and slip away to join his oldest sister. Had that really happened?

He was smiling stupidly, he knew. Ty missed him! Ty wanted to spend time with him! They would probably never be what they once were, but, finally, Ty was offering Kit the thing he had been hoping for for so long.

He was offering him a second chance.

This called for celebratory cake.

Once his dessert had been acquired, he made a beeline for Jem and Tessa, who were sitting at their table, chatting with Alec Lightwood. _The Consul_ , Kit reminded himself, taking in Alec’s formal outfit. He spent so much time around Alec these days that sometimes he forgot that his family friend occupied the highest position in the Nephilim government.

Alec smiled at Kit as he plopped himself down beside Tessa and dug into his cake. Jem gazed at him fondly. Tessa was less impressed.

“How much cake have you had?” she asked, sounding very much like she did not want to know the answer.

“That,” he said, pointing his fork at her, “is none of your business.”

“Is that code for ‘I don’t know?’” inquired Jem. “It’s usually code for ‘I don’t know.’”

“It _is_ a special occasion,” Alec pointed out.

“It’s _always_ a special occasion with this one,” replied Tessa darkly. Jem laughed.

Despite their teasing, they let Kit finish his cake, and quietly went back to their conversation as Kit stuffed his face. Alec had become a close family friend to them over the last two years, thanks to Jem and Tessa’s close friendship with Magnus, and the fact that his kids were only a few years older than Mina.

Kit also suspected it had something to do with the fact that both families were a mix of mortals and immortals. There weren’t many people out there who could relate to that experience.

Tessa reached over to play with Kit’s curls, and they were sitting close enough that he leaned his head on her shoulder. 

It was funny. Kit had never been big on physical affection, but then again, it had never really been on offer before he had moved to Devon. Over the course of the last two years, he had found that he liked being hugged and having his hair ruffled. Who knew? 

Jem often joked that it was like having another cat. Kit argued that he was much nicer to have around than Church was. He was apparently the only one who thought so.

“How are you holding up?” Tessa asked, too quietly for the other two to hear, and Kit caught the hidden meaning behind her words. Tessa knew that seeing the Blackthorns was hard for him.

“Good, actually. I talked to Ty.”

Her hands stilled for just a moment. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He smiled into her shoulder. “I think we’re good.”

“I’m so happy to hear that.” He could hear the smile in her voice, and it made him happy. It was so nice to have people who _cared_.

Alec had been dragged away from the table by his youngest son. Jem got up to get them more drinks. It was just Kit and Tessa.

“We’ve been invited to Christmas at the Los Angeles Institute,” Kit announced.

Tessa jerked back slightly. Kit sat up straight, but her arm stayed around him. “And how do you feel about this?” she asked, after a beat of silence.

Kit shrugged, feigning nonchalance even though he knew Tessa wouldn’t buy it. “I think I’d like that.”

“Alright then,” she said with a smile.

“So we’re going? Just like that?”

“Of course we are! We don’t have any plans, and Jem would love to spend the holidays with Emma.”

“What’s this about me and Emma?” Jem had arrived with more drinks - only two of them, Kit noted. Tessa smiled up at him and explained their new plans. He was predictably thrilled, and soon coaxed Tessa out of her seat and onto the dance floor, leaving the drinks on the table.

Kit stayed seated, and slowly reached for Tessa's glass. If she hadn't meant for him to take it, she shouldn't have left it there for him, he figured.

Suddenly, the glass was plucked out of his hand. Simon had appeared behind him. He downed the drink in one go, then flopped down into Jem's seat with an exhausted sigh.

"I was drinking that," Kit complained.

"I know."

Simon stared up at the ceiling. He looked as exhausted as he was happy. Kit realized he hadn't had a chance to congratulate Simon since the wedding, and did, though he was still annoyed about the drink. Simon nodded in acknowledgment. Kit got the impression he was too tired even to speak.

“I’m done with parties,” he declared after a long silence. “I'm saying no to everything from now on. At least until next winter."

“Is that when Clary and Jace are getting married?” Kit realized he didn't know when their wedding was supposed to be.

Simon shook his head. “The new Star Wars movie.”

Kit laughed. Simon seemed to perk up a bit.

“You’re coming over for that, right? It’s going to be huge. I even got Jace to agree to it.”

“Wait, really?” A Star Wars party sounded like the last thing Jace would ever want to go to.

“He says he wants to ‘observe me in my natural habitat.’”

Ah. That did sound like Jace.

“The only one not coming is Alec,” Simon continued, looking up at the ceileing. “He says he wants to, but he’s busy.”

“The movie doesn’t have a release date yet.”

“He insists he’s busy.”

They lapsed into silence, Simon still looking like he might never regain his feet. Unfortunately for the groom, his new wife soon found him, and pulled him back onto the dance floor. He didn’t actually look that upset about it.

Kit watched them leave with a smile, then reached across the table for Jem's abandoned glass of champagne.


	5. Chapter 5

“So he didn’t exactly _say_ he wants to be friends again, but he invited me to L.A., and that has to mean something, right? Like, I know Ty. If he didn’t want me there, he wouldn’t have invited me.”

Kit was sitting against the neighbor’s fence, conversing with the sheep. It was a bit too cold outside for this activity, but the sheep were his closest confidants in Devon; he couldn’t exactly leave them in suspense, especially not after he had left with promises that he was going to see Ty and would report back to them as soon as he got back. As much as he would have liked to go straight to Los Angeles after the wedding and spend more time with Ty, he was at least glad to have a few days to hang out with his favourite farm animals.

Betty - or was this one Dottie? It was hard to tell - did not offer up any wisdom about Kit’s love life, on account of the fact that she was a sheep.

Kit had discovered fairly early on in his time in Devon that sheep were excellent listeners. They just sat there, chewing their cud all day. They also liked being scratched behind the ears, and it was fun to pick leaves and burrs out of their wool, as long as you didn’t mind your hands being greasy and covered in dirt. One of these days, Kit was going to try braiding locks of their wool, because they were great friends to him and they deserved to look beautiful.

The sheep didn’t belong to him, of course. Believe it or not, Jem and Tessa were both city kids with very little knowledge of animals, and also had other ways of making money. The sheep belonged to a neighbor whose daughter had a crush on Kit, and who didn’t seem to mind Kit coming over here to converse with the sheep, especially since he often offered to help out with the feeding.

It was his way of paying back his friends, and also his way of making sure they liked him. Get into the habit of feeding the sheep, he had learned early on, and they’ll start to recognize you as the guy with the food, and before you know it, they absolutely _lose their shit_ every time they see you.

Sheep were so easy to win over.

Simon thought Kit was crazy, of course. _My old roommate was from Scotland and he grew up around sheep,_ he had said once; _he used to sleep talk about sheep shearing. Sleep talking, Kit!_ Simon had even brought his concerns to Tessa. She and Kit had agreed that there were worse things to sleep talk about.

“I wish I knew more about _your_ love life, Dottie.” It _was_ Dottie; he could see the spot on her shoulder now. “I mean, I know things get pretty crazy in the fall, but what about the rest of the year? Do you have a girlfriend? There are so many of you out here. I’ll bet the relationship drama is something else.”

Dottie stared at him.

“I’m sorry for betraying you by befriending a lynx,” he added, reaching through the fence to scratch her behind her ears. “If I promise to never let Irene hurt you, can you promise not to be mad if I let her come here? Not that I think it’ll ever happen. But if Ty wanted to… you know I can’t say no to him.”

Dottie chewed a little bit more vigorously than before. Kit took that as encouragement.

“You’re the best, Dot.”

He stood up and brushed off his pants, which were quite ruined. His butt was starting to go numb, and he was a California boy; he wasn’t built for cold weather. Plus, dinner would probably be ready soon, and he didn’t want to be late for that.

He made the short trek over to his house and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes. He could smell dinner in the oven. Tessa was reading on the couch. She looked up as he came in.

“Good talk with the sheep?”

Kit flopped down on the other couch. “You wouldn’t _believe_ the drama. You leave for a weekend, and suddenly Rosalie’s being a total _bitch_ hogging all the - hey!”

Tessa had mimed whacking him with her book. “Language!” She exclaimed, with a pointed look toward the kitchen. Kit didn’t look up, but he did hear Mina talking to Jem.

“Oops.”

“I should start a swear jar. You entire allowance would be gone in hours.”

“Probably.” She made this threat almost every day, but so far she had yet to carry through with it. “Jem cooking tonight?”

“Mmm hmm.” She was clearly trying to keep a straight face. Jem was a very progressive man who tried very hard to do everything he could for his family, but he _had_ grown up as a man in the Victorian era. His ongoing quest to learn how to cook often yielded… _interesting_ results.

He was improving, at least.

“Did you get any training in this weekend?” She asked, in the same tone one might ask if someone had gotten any reading in during a relaxing vacation.

“Did _you_ get any training in?” Kit shot back. He looked over at Tessa, and she had that look on her face that said _why are you the way that you are?_ Kit was very familiar with that look.

“What? You’re, like, a hundred and fifty years old, and so is Jem. Regular exercise is good for you. I don’t know why you’re always on my case about it.”

“I am not a Shadowhunter-in-training, Kit,” she said patiently. “Neither is Jem.”

“Well, _I_ am not a person who likes getting sweaty,” he responded. “Messes up my hair.”

“So you _did_ train this weekend, then! I’m so proud.” She stood up, kissed him on the forehead, and walked out of the room. “Set the table, please!”

Kit groaned, but he swung his legs to the ground, accidentally stepping on Church’s tail. Church hissed at him. Kit hissed back. Then he stood up and strode over to the table for dinner.

* * *

For all his complaining, Kit didn’t actually hate Shadowhunter training.

He had, after all, chosen to do this, as Jem and Tessa reminded him every time he complained too much. It also beat mundane school, that was for sure. And it produced excellent results: though Kit was still waiting on his six-pack, he was in much better shape now than he had been two years ago, and most importantly, he now knew how to look very cool while wielding various blades. Emphasis on the ‘looking cool’ part - he was still working on actually using those blades effectively.

Also, he would never admit it to anyone, but sometimes Shadowhunter history was pretty cool, especially when Tessa was teaching it.

Still, exercise was not Kit’s favourite thing in the world, and he had found many creative ways to get out of it in the days since the wedding. Today, he had announced that instead of going for a run, he would walk all the way to his favourite coffee shop, with Mina on his shoulders. Mina, of course, added a lot of weight, and this place was pretty far away, so it was basically like training, he had argued. Jem had just rolled his eyes and made Kit promise to bring back some pastries.

So here Kit was, ducking through the doorway and almost sending Mina flying off his shoulders in the process (he _had_ promised not to put her down). The barista - the only other person in the shop - moved to help, but he waved her off.

“It’s fine! Everything's fine! If her parents ask, I did nothing!”

The barista laughed. “Good to see you, Kit!” she called out. “It’s been a while.”

Kit wasn’t sure if this girl counted as a friend, but she and Kit were definitely friendly. She was a pretty girl around Kit’s age, with curly auburn hair and big brown eyes. She smiled at Kit as she got to work making his coffee, already knowing the way he liked it.

“What are we feeling today, Min-Min? A bag of cookies? Some croissants? Those brownies look good.”

“Cookies!” Mina yelled, at the same time as the barista recommended the brownies.

“Hmmmm.” He looked up at Mina - or tried to, at least. She yelled at him for almost throwing off her balance again. “If we eat our brownies here then bring some cookies home with us, do you promise not to tell Mum and Dad?”

“No! Cookies!”

Kit sighed. “You are the _worst_ partner in crime,” he told the toddler. Then, to the barista: “I’ll have a brownie and she’ll have a chocolate chip cookie. Then we’ll get four of those cookies to go. But no telling!” He tried, once again, to meet Mina’s eyes, and she finally demanded to be taken off his shoulders.

“We’re not telling them about this, either,” he grumbled as he set her down, keeping his hands around her as they waited for her legs to wake up. The barista laughed, passing Kit his coffee.

“You’re so good with her,” she said, as she typed his order into the machine. “It’s cute.”

 _Oh?_ Kit took his coffee and leaned against the counter, putting on his most charming smile. He knew that nothing serious would ever happen with this girl, or with any of the mundanes in Devon who apparently thought he was above-average in terms of looks, but flirting was fun. 

“Please tell that to my aunt and uncle,” he said with mock seriousness. “It’s a miracle they let me alone with her at all.”

The girl giggled. Kit pulled out his credit card to pay, then hesitated, an idea forming in his mind. “Actually... if it’s not too much trouble, could you add another drink to that? Your choice.”

She frowned. “For the kid?”

“For you.”

She blushed, then shot a glance behind her, as if expecting someone to come out of the back door.

“There’s nobody else here; you won’t get in trouble. And if someone does show up, I get an extra drink.”

She bit her lip around a smile, and agreed. Kit paid for his order, then shuffled Mina over to the nearest table as the girl - Hannah, he remembered - got their food ready.

Mina climbed up onto her chair and did a little dance, knowing exactly what was coming. It was possible Kit spoiled her just a little.

Kit, for his part, was watching the barista.

He hoped he wasn’t leading her on too much. She was nice, and pretty, and he would happily go on a few dates with her if she wanted to, but he was a Shadowhunter, and she was a mundane. They could only spend so much time together before Kit risked breaking the Law - or worse, putting her in danger. This was just Kit having fun.

And it _was_ fun. Kit had never attracted this much female attention in his mundane life, and he was reveling in it. He flirted shamelessly with every girl his age living in this town - though, admittedly, there weren’t that many of them.

He never did much more than flirt, though.

Hannah brought their food over, along with a cup of tea for herself and a paper bag containing cookies. Mina thanked her excitedly and immediately dug in to her own cookie. Kit took the paper bag, and was amused to find a phone number scrawled on the side.

“Smooth.”

“Not as smooth as you buying me this drink,” she said with a laugh.

They didn’t talk for long. She had work to do, after all, and Mina got bored very quickly, but it was a nice way to spend the day. He bid goodbye to the nice barista, promised to text her, and walked out with the cookies in one hand and Mina’s hand in the other. As soon as he was out the door, he gave Mina the paper bag (just for a minute) and hoisted her back up onto his shoulder. A promise is a promise.

The walk home gave him time to think.

He had enjoyed his impromptu date, just as he had enjoyed all the other dates he had arranged with mundane girls in Devon. She had been nice, and - though he would deny it if anyone ever asked - flirting with random girls was his favourite way of getting his mind off Ty. But something had been bothering him since the wedding.

He wasn’t out.

Now, this was not something that had ever concerned Kit before. He had never really cared about labels or about how other people thought he identified. The last time he had actively tried to hide his sexuality was in mundane high school, and that felt like a million years ago. At the Shadow Market, he had flirted with boys and girls alike, and nobody had batted an eye, because downworlders didn’t really care about that kind of stuff. His attitude about the whole thing was basically that he wasn’t going to announce it, but he also wasn’t going to try to hide it. He’d just… casually bring it up in conversation.

Well, here he was two years into his new life as a Shadowhunter, and he had not yet had an opportunity to bring it up in conversation. It was now at a point where he was almost certain that every Shadowhunter he knew except Ty thought he was straight.

It was just so easy to let people make their assumptions. Everyone saw him flirting with girls and heard him talk about girls and just _assumed_ , and it wasn’t like he could deny that he was into girls. Sometimes when girls hit on him, it was frustrating because he just wanted guys to know that they could do that too. Like, they just _assumed_ he would be interested, and they were right, but how did they know?

Sometimes he thought it would be easier if he could just shoot them with a 'sorry, I’m gay!' or answer the girlfriend question with 'not into girls at all, actually.' It would even be nice if he had any ex-boyfriends he could mention. But all he had was an ex-best-friend that he was still hopelessly in love with two years after they had fallen out, and that wasn’t the kind of thing you could just casually drop into conversation.

He wasn’t sure why he was worrying about this now. It really wasn’t a big deal, he knew. He had worse problems than being straight-passing, and there were definitely worse things to be in a small town. But it got to him sometimes, and it had been getting to him ever since he had spent a weekend surrounded by well-meaning Shadowhunters who kept asking him if he had a girlfriend, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was hopelessly pining after one Tiberius Blackthorn.

He just wished he could stop feeling like he was hiding something.

They were nearing their house, now. Kit tugged on Mina’s leg.

“So, Mina, what are you going to say when they ask you how many cookies you ate today?”

“One cookie!”

“No! You ate no cookies! None!” They went through this every time Kit took her out, and always with the same results.

“But I did have one cookie!”

“Yes, but that’s a secret! They can’t know about it!” One day, Mina would understand that claiming she had eaten no cookies would entitle her to a second cookie after dinner. They both had something to gain here. “Let’s try again: Mina, how many cookies did you eat today?”

“None cookies!”

“Exactly! Good girl!”

He reached up to give her a high-five, and then he had to take her off his shoulders, because they were home.

As soon as he opened the door, Mina sprinted in.

“Mum! Kit bought me a cookie!”

Kit sighed. One day, she would get it.


	6. Chapter 6

Kit would definitely never admit it to anyone, but he almost cried when he finally set foot in L.A. after two long years abroad.

As well as he had adjusted to the English countryside, he was a California boy at heart. He had missed the smell of the ocean, the wind in his hair, the dry heat even in December. When had he adjusted to cold weather? Since when did winter in L.A. feel like early summer? He shucked off his coat almost immediately after stepping out of the portal.

“Good to be back?” asked Jem, a twinkle in his eye. Kit laughed.

“You have no idea.”

The Institute was somehow less intimidating than he remembered it being. He had passed by this building so many times during his mundane life, and had always felt the urge to hide away, as if the evil Shadowhunters would catch him looking at it and kidnap him immediately. Now, it looked like safety, and friendship, and pride.

How things had changed.

They stepped through the doors and into the entryway, Kit thinking back to the first time he had come here, when Tessa had told him in no uncertain terms that he could either become a Shadowhunter or turn around and get eaten by demons. He smiled at the memory.

“They’re here!”

Emma Carstairs raced down the stairs and threw herself at Jem, then Tessa. She smiled at Kit. The rest of the family slowly started to filter out of their rooms and down into the entryway.

Julian teased Emma for her reaction - “didn’t you just see them?” - but he clasped Jem’s hand and seemed genuinely happy to see everyone. Cristina, who had apparently also been invited to the party, immediately pounced on Mina.

Ty showed up later, and hung back shyly, headphones on. Kit shot him a tentative smile, and he waved back, then looked up at the ceiling. Kit completely forgot about everything happening around him.

Several people offered to take their bags to their rooms - “we haven’t touched your old room, Kit,” said Julian - and Tessa reassured everyone that pancakes sounded like an excellent idea, even though it was mid-afternoon in Devon right now.

Only when everyone else had filtered out of the room and it was just the two of them did Kit finally walk up to Ty.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Up close, Ty looked awful - and it was very hard for Ty to look awful. His hair was sticking up all over the place, he had thrown on a ratty sweater that looked like something Alec Lightwood would wear, and his eyes were bloodshot, the dark circles under them even more noticeable than they had been in New York. Kit wanted to ask him if he was okay, but wasn’t sure if that was allowed.

Instead, he went the safe route.

“How’s Irene?”

It was instantly clear that he had made the right choice. Ty’s face lit up at the mention of his pet, and he assured Kit that Irene was happy not to be cooped up anymore, if a bit put off by the California heat.

“Is she outside now?”

“She’s in my room, actually. Do you want to see her?”

To be completely honest, Kit was not particularly fond of cats, and did not really want to put himself in a room with Ty’s lynx but, well, Irene had been a good wingman up to this point, and he wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to hang out with Ty.

He really was pathetic, wasn’t he?

Pathetic or not, he followed Ty up to his room and said hello to Irene - who was actually a very nice lynx that deserved a better friend than Kit. Ty sat on the bed and talked about his pet as Kit listened.

It almost hurt, how much Kit had missed this. He had spent so much of the last two years trying to forget what had happened between the two of them, trying to move on. He almost couldn’t believe he had this back.

They didn’t spend too much time in Ty’s room, because they had been promised pancakes and had no intention of missing them, but Kit was pleased to see Ty sticking to his side even after they had entered the kitchen and been surrounded by people.

The Los Angeles Institute was just as chaotic as ever. Julian yelled at his siblings from where he stood making breakfast, while Helen helped him with the batter and Aline guarded the plate of finished pancakes from prying hands. Tavvy and Dru were fighting over seating arrangements, while Mark and Cristina had essentially stolen Mina from Jem and Tessa, who sat at the table watching everything unfold around them.

Ty, who was usually so averse to noise, seemed completely unfazed by this particular brand of chaos. He took his seat as if nothing strange was happening, and Kit sat down beside him.

The chaos did not end once breakfast was ready. They fought over who got the blueberry pancakes and who had to eat the plain ones. They fought over the maple syrup. They fought over the butter. Tavvy screamed at Emma when she grabbed her third pancake, because he had only had two, and Emma shot back that he should just eat faster. Kit looked down at his fourth pancake and felt guilty. 

Helen repeatedly apologized to Tessa and Jem, who both looked extremely amused by the whole thing. Kit realized they were the only real adults in the building. It was kind of funny.

It was a miracle that Kit managed to shovel so much food into his mouth - God, he had missed American pancakes - because when the Blackthorns weren’t fighting each other, they were peppering him with questions. Apparently they were done being mad at him and now wanted to know _everything_ about his new life overseas.

Emma wanted to know what the demon hunting scene was like in Devon (not that exciting). Tavvy wanted to know if he got to eat pancakes at his new house (yes, but not good ones). Mark asked him, very seriously, what the grass tasted like.

“Um. I wouldn’t know?”

His eyes widened. “You should know that,” he said darkly.

After a meal of that size, the last thing Kit wanted to do was exercise, but Emma was very eager to see how much he had improved (read: kick his ass), and Jem apparently thought that was an excellent idea.

Kit had never felt so betrayed.

And so, a mere hour after consuming a very large and very unhealthy breakfast, Kit found himself squaring up to spar with Emma Fucking Carstairs, which was probably the worst idea he’d ever had.

“You don’t have to do it, Kit!” Julian yelled from the sidelines. “You can always leave with your life and your dignity!”

Kit was kind of tempted to take him up on the offer, but also, he didn’t like backing out of a fight, unwinnable as it was. And there was something about Emma Carstairs that pushed his buttons.

He wasn’t going to win this fight, no, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to quit.

He made the first move, and she blocked him easily, then went on the attack, jabbing and slashing and whirling around him in a blur of motion. Kit was sweating within minutes as he struggled just to defend against her. It was clear that she was holding back, playing with him, and that made him mad. He got careless as he tried desperately to go on the attack, and soon ended up flat on his back on the ground, Cortana at his throat.

Emma laughed. He flipped her off.

“Don’t let your little sister see that!” she teased.

“Emma, you taught Tavvy every swear word in the book before he could walk,” Julian piped up. She shushed him.

And that’s how Kit spent most of his first day in Los Angeles: Emma pretending to help him with his training when really she just wanted to embarrass him, with Julian commenting from the sidelines and occasionally joining in to offer up some actually helpful advice.

Kit had always been terrified of Julian - maybe even more terrified of him than he was of Aline - and that hadn’t changed, but he did notice that Julian seemed a lot more relaxed these days. He must be, Kit thought, if he was spending his free time hanging around the training room and not scheming or threatening people or whatever it was Julian Blackthorn did in his free time.

Eventually, exhaustion won out and he announced defeat, vowing to use this experience as leverage every time Jem or Tessa tried to guilt him into working out. He trudged back to his room, showered quickly, and collapsed into bed, not moving until Ty showed up to tell him that dinner was ready.

* * *

Jet lag was a bitch.

Kit had crashed immediately after dinner, and now he found himself wide awake at some ungodly hour of the night. He had no idea what time it was, but it was definitely in the early hours of the morning.

After about an hour of tossing and turning, he decided he needed a change of scenery. He swung his legs out of bed and stepped out into the hallway.

The Institute was eerie at night. This one wasn’t nearly as old as the London Institute, which he had visited a few times in the last two years, but the floorboards still creaked under his feet and he definitely felt like the tapestries and paintings were all staring at him. Careful not to wake anyone, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he poured himself a glass of water and searched the cupboards for a snack.

He wasn't really hungry. He was just bored.

After a bit of fumbling around and knocking things over, he found a box of store-bought cookies, and grabbed as many as he could fit in his hand. Satisfied, he downed the last of his water, stuffed a cookie into his mouth, and headed back up the stairs.

He had every intention of going right back to his room - he was starting to feel a bit more tired already - but once he reached the top of the stairs, he was distracted by the faint glow of witchlight peeking out from under one of the bedroom doors. He knew it wasn’t his place, but curiosity got the better of him, and he crept close enough to identify the room as Ty’s.

He could just make out the sound of Ty’s footsteps on the wooden floorboards, see the witchlight flickering just slightly as he paced across the room. Kit thought of how tired the other boy had looked all day, and wished he knew how to help him.

He didn’t, though. Would Ty appreciate him barging in and asking questions? Or would he be upset? Back in New York, Kit had basically told the other boy that he could come to him if he needed anything, and Ty hadn’t come to him. He didn’t want to push things too far.

He thought of his first nights at the Institute. How Ty had slept outside his room every night, as if worried he might try to sneak out. Kit didn’t know if he would have left otherwise - probably not - but he did know that Ty’s presence - and his obvious concern about Kit’s well being - had helped him feel a little less alone.

He didn’t know what he was trying to accomplish by sitting down next to Ty’s door. Maybe he wanted Ty to find him here and know that he cared. Maybe he was worried about his friend and wanted to make sure nothing bad happened. Or maybe he just wanted to be close to Ty while he was hurting.

Whatever his reasons, he leaned his head back against the wall, and let the creak of Ty’s footsteps and the quiet murmur of voices - he must be talking to Livvy - lull him back to sleep.

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Kit jerked awake, momentarily confused as to why he was lying on a wooden floor and his neck was aching. He scrambled into a sitting position and looked up to see Ty standing over him.

Right. He had meant to spend the night sitting outside Ty’s door. He must have fallen asleep by accident.

Ty didn’t look angry, though. His brows were knitted together, the corners of his lips turned down in the slightest of frowns. His hands were worrying at his necklace. He blinked down at Kit, waiting for an answer.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he grumbled, lurching ungracefully onto his feet.

“You were sleeping on the floor.”

“It’s a comfortable floor!” He disproved his point by rubbing at his neck.

“No, it’s not.”

“I guess you would know, wouldn't you?” he shot back. The other boy’s eyes narrowed.

“Seriously, what are you doing?”

Kit sighed, still rubbing at his neck. Had he fallen asleep sitting up? “I couldn't sleep, and I saw your light on. I didn’t want you to be alone.” It sounded silly now, with daylight streaming through the windows and the sound of voices drifting up the stairs. But Ty’s expression softened.

“Next time, you should just knock.”

“Noted.” 

Ty looked just as bad as he had the day before, but his whole face lit up when he remembered, suddenly, that it was Christmas morning. Shadowhunters didn’t celebrate Christmas the same way mundanes did, but apparently not even they were immune to the childish glee of waking up on the morning of the 25th. Kit laughed as the other boy practically ran down the stairs to join his family, and was still smiling as he walked back to his room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a little bit of underage drinking in this chapter!

Livvy was waiting for Kit when he stepped into his bedroom. He froze as soon as he saw her.

In the early morning light, with her back to the window, Livvy looked more ghostly than ever, her form wavering and flickering as if a strong wind could blow her right out of existence. Kit felt silly thinking she looked pale, but she did. She looked pale and tired and very, very worried. Kit felt his heart contract.

“Why did you sleep outside his room?” she demanded as soon as the door had closed behind him. Her voice was pitched high, almost panicked, and Kit could not for the life of him understand why.

“Um.” She looked so fragile that he was slightly worried that if he stopped staring at her, she might disappear entirely. “Are you okay?”

“I asked you a question.” Her voice was stronger now, her gaze fierce. She was doing what she had always done best: defending her twin.

From what, Kit didn’t know.

He held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to,” he said, in the tone one might use when approaching a wild animal. “It was an accident.”

“Why were you there in the first place?”

Kit didn’t know why she was so concerned about this. Hadn’t she wanted them to talk? “I don’t know. Guess I was worried about him.”

Livvy face sank. As a ghost, she didn’t get tired, or sick, or age, but Kit could tell that something was wrong with her. She seemed worried, at the very least.

“Is something wrong?” he asked again, his voice rising in alarm. If something bad had happened to Ty - if Ty was in _danger_ \- he needed to know, and he needed to know right now.

Livvy hesitated. She was biting her lip, wringing her hands in a gesture that was oddly reminiscent of her twin.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said finally. 

Kit didn’t believe her. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, never dropping eye contact with the ghost in front of him. “I thought you wanted us to be friends.”

“I do!” She reached up to play with her hair. “I really, really want you two to be friends. I’m the one who told him to invite you here.”

He winced. Cool. Not exactly the kind of thing he wanted to hear, but he appreciated the honesty nonetheless.

“So why are you getting all defensive about me sleeping outside his room?”

“Because, Kit!” She threw her hands up. “Last time this happened, you left! I can’t- I can’t just let it happen again! You don’t get to play with his feelings like this!”

Livvy was almost completely transparent now. Kit had to squint to see her. He inched closer, cautiously.

“Livvy…”

She looked at him, and seemed to grow stronger. He could see her a little better now, at least. Her eyes were wide, almost wild. “I’m his _only_ friend, Kit. I’m his only friend and I’m _dead_.”

Kit thought back to all the times he had seen Ty slip away from group gatherings, or stick to the outside of a room. He thought of the previous night, Ty pacing in the middle of the night as he talked to his dead twin. He wondered what it must be like for Livvy, watching her twin push everyone away in favour of hanging out with a ghost. He saw himself through her eyes, coming to the Institute, sleeping outside Ty's room, acting like his friend but never addressing what he had done, never fully committing to the friendship, always ready to run away if things got awkward again. And Ty didn't have any real friends outside his family.

“Is that what you're worried about? Me hurting him?”

She was wringing her hands again. Kit had never seen her like this, and he wanted to put his arms around her, to help her, to comfort her in some way, but he couldn’t.

“Kit?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I tell you something? Something I’ve never told anyone, not even Ty?”

Well. He was equal parts concerned and intrigued.

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Do you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Sure.”

She seemed to be steeling herself to say something unpleasant. Kit sat down on the bed, and waited.

Outside, the ocean wind was blowing leaves against his window. He watched them swirl in the air, heard the soft _tap_ as they met the glass, and became uncomfortably aware of the fact that Livvy was not making single sound - no breathing, no creaking of floorboards as her weight shifted. It was as if he was alone in the room. Livvy was nothing but an image in the air. An image that could disappear at any moment.

When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I don’t think I want to be here.”

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. “Here, as in…”

“In this world. Among the living. I guess.” She bit her lip.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

He leaned back against his hands, still staring up at her. He had, of course, thought a lot about the unconventional means by which Livvy had come back to life as a ghost. He had wondered, many times, if she would have wanted to come back, given the option. He had wondered if, in her position, he would have wanted to come back.

“It’s just…” she shrugged nervously. “It’s not much of a life, you know? I can’t really talk to anyone except Ty. And I can’t eat or sleep or touch anything. I don’t get older, either.”

“And Ty spends all his time talking to you instead of living his life,” he finished.

“Yeah.” She reached up to grab a chunk of her hair and twist it between her hands. “I mean, he does have one friend. But they’re barely friends. They don’t talk that much. He still spends most of his time with me. He's very worried about me.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault.”

“I know,” she said. “But he needs to move on. I don’t know if he can do it while I’m still here. And he can’t do it at all if he’s pushed everyone else away.”

Kit winced. “I’m sorry, dude.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do about it.” Her voice wavered a bit.

Kit frowned. “Are you sure?”

Livvy nodded. “We’ve been doing research. Trying to figure out why I’m…” she looked down at her nearly-transparent body. “Like this. What ties me to the world, and stuff.”

“And you haven’t found any answers?”

She shrugged. “We’ve learned a lot. But if there’s a way for me to move on, I don’t know about it.”

He stared up at the ceiling. He was certainly learning a lot today. “And you haven’t told Ty any of this?”

“It would only upset him.”

It would. Kit couldn’t even imagine how Ty would feel if he knew. Ty had done _everything_ , risked everything, to bring his twin back. He had pushed people away in his determination to keep Livvy with him. To hear that Livvy didn’t want this life… it seemed almost impossibly cruel to put that on his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

She shook her head. “I’ll get over it. Thanks for listening.”

“No problem.”

Livvy looked like there was more she wanted to say. Kit had to admit he didn’t want her to leave. He had missed Livvy just as much as he had missed the other Blackthorns, and after the confession she had just made, he didn’t really want to leave her alone.

She looked impossibly young as a ghost. Kit knew, objectively, that she looked exactly the same today as she had on the day of her death, but it was hard to believe. Had they really been that young when they’d met?

He remembered having the smallest of crushes on her, back when he had been hurt and confused and desperately clinging to anyone who showed him kindness. Livvy had been a good friend to him, and he had found her cool and pretty and kind of scary.

A confusing time, indeed.

Now, he looked at her and he just felt sorrow. Nobody deserved to die at fifteen. It was unfair. Unfair that someone as lively, as fierce, as loved as Livvy had been had been taken away from them at such a young age.

He didn’t know what to say - couldn’t find the words - but she must have been able to read it on his face, because she gave him the most melancholy smile, and left with promises to talk to him later.

* * *

Despite his concern for Livvy, Kit managed to get sucked into the excitement of Christmas day.

Shadowhunters didn’t do presents, but apparently they did get into the holiday spirit, and Kit was soon roped into helping out with the decorations. Jem and Tessa had already taken charge, of course, explaining how things were done at the London Institute and doing their very best to make this party resemble London’s as much as possible.

They were tragically unsuccessful, however, seeing as the Shadowhunters of the L.A. Institute had very different opinions on what made a fun Christmas party, and also happened to be working on a very limited budget and even more limited time.

"I can't believe you guys actually put off decorating until the day of the party," he quipped as he placed ugly blue baubles on the giant tree they had dragged into the sanctuary only a half hour ago. "That's next level procrastination."

"We were busy!" said Dru, indignantly.

"You had a week!"

Emma threw a bauble at him. "Like you'd do things differently."

"He definitely would not!" Jem shouted from across the room. Kit picked up the bauble Emma had just thrown at him and chucked it across the room, grinning triumphantly when it hit Jem right in the back of his head.

Their decorating party might have devolved into a fight if not for the appearance of Julian in the entryway. He had flour in his hair, a smear of chocolate across his forehead, and mysterious stains on the apron that covered his clothes.

"We're out of sugar," he announced grimly.

"Already?" said Aline. "I thought I bought enough for the whole month!"

Julian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mark decided to help us."

"Why would you let him do that?" Aline stepped down from her stool and put down the wreath she had been in the process of hanging up.

"He said he knew of a recipe that would be perfect." It was clear from Julian's tone that he knew exactly where he had gone wrong.

"And you _listened_ to him?" Aline strode across the room and pushed past Julian, undoubtedly off to chew out Mark for ruining her wife's Christmas party. Julian watched her leave.

Tavvy looked up from his box of decorations. "Is Mark's dessert good, at least?"

"I haven't tried it," Julian replied, in a tone that suggested he had no intention of ever trying it.

Dru heaved a dramatic sigh. "So what you're saying is, I need to go buy us more sugar."

"That would be nice, yes."

Jem offered to help out, and the two of them headed out to track down a grocery store that was open on Christmas day. Julian, looking like he regretted every decision he had ever made, turned around and walked dejectedly back to the kitchen.

Baking disasters and questionable decorating choices aside, the sanctuary ended up looking charming and appropriately festive by the time the guests started to show up. Their collection of decorations was somewhat eclectic, everything having come from a different store, but the tree looked decent if a bit crowded, and the fake snow scattered around the room added a nice touch.

They ended up with a good selection of desserts, too, thanks to Julian’s and Helen’s combined efforts and Dru's last-minute heroics. As soon as it was socially acceptable to start eating, Kit made it his mission to try every single thing on the table - except for the suspiciously lumpy creation of Mark’s that smelled very strongly of vanilla and looked like it was somewhere in between pudding and cake - all the while sipping on mulled wine. There was eggnog as well, but Kit discovered early on in the night that the two were a bad combination and, well, he had never been big on eggnog anyway.

He was pleasantly buzzed by the time the dancing started.

This party was significantly less formal than the wedding had been. Half the guests were in street clothes, the vampires kept fighting over the aux even though none of their selections were good, and the dancing was… enthusiastic, but not particularly good. Livvy seemed to be enjoying it, at least.

Ty was standing next to him, his headphones still on. Kit kind of wished he could do the same. Ty’s music was definitely _much_ better than this trash. He realized, suddenly, that he didn’t even know what kind of music Ty liked to listen to, and made a mental note to ask.

Ty caught him staring, and smiled - a real smile, the one that lit up his entire face and always gave Kit butterflies. He looked so much more _alive_ now than he had this morning, Kit thought, as the other boy leaned closer to whisper something into Kit’s ear.

“You as tired of this as I am?”

Kit grinned. “Please tell me you have something better in mind.”

Ty nodded. He grabbed Kit’s hand, and before Kit could properly freak out about it, he was leading him out of the room, through the doors of the sanctuary and into the hot Los Angeles air.

Kit let himself be pulled over to the front steps of the Institute, and sat down heavily next to his friend.

Belatedly, Ty seemed to realize that they were still holding hands, and pulled away. Kit wished he hadn’t.

It was late - Kit didn’t know how late, but the vampires had been at the Institute for ages so the sun must have set a long time ago. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and listened to the sounds of the city at night.

So it was possible he was a little bit more than buzzed.

“We should go to the beach tomorrow,” Ty said, and Kit thrilled at the word ‘we.’ Like they were a unit. Like it was a given that they would hang out tomorrow.

“I might cry,” Kit joked. “Just warning you.”  
  
Ty giggled. “It’s been a while?”

Kit shoved him playfully.

“You’d like Devon,” he added as an afterthought, staring up at the night sky. His voice sounded just a little bit slurred, even to his own ears. “No beaches, of course, but it’s full of animals. And you can see the stars.” He didn’t mention that he had spent many nights looking up at those stars and thinking about how Ty could probably name all the constellations. It just seemed like something Ty would know.

“I’ll have to visit sometime,” he said shyly, and Kit thought he would never stop smiling.

Behind them, it sounded like the party was dying down - or maybe moving to another location as Aline started cutting off their alcohol. Guests had already started drifting out the doors and stumbling home. Kit suppressed a laugh. He had heard a lot about the London Institute’s Christmas parties, and they didn’t sound much like downworlder parties. These really were strange times they were living in.

Kit knew the L.A. downworld community better than most, so he knew just how incredible it was that people had shown up to the Institute at all. Alec would be proud.

Beside him, Ty was still staring out at the water. He was still as a statue, his hair moving just slightly in the wind. In the dead of night, the faint glow of witchlight coming from the Institute provided their only illumination, exaggerating the lines of his face, the dark circles under his eyes. His lashes cast long shadows over his cheeks. Kit could just barely make out the slightest dusting of dark hair on Ty's upper lip, his chin, along his jawline. When had that happened?

He wanted very badly to know if the hair was as soft as it looked.

Ty had taken his headphones off, and they sat around his neck now. Kit remembered what he had wanted to ask, before.

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

Ty blinked, and Kit saw the corner of his mouth tilt up just slightly. "Lots of different genres," he said. "It changes every day."

"What were you listening to today?"

"Christmas music."

Kit smiled. "Appropriate."

"Usually it's calm music," he continued. "Nothing too intense. Indie bands. Singer-songwriters."

"I didn't realize you were such a hipster."

Ty frowned. "A what?" 

"Nothing." He tore his gaze away from the other boy, and looked out at the water again. "Do you listen to upbeat dance music during battle?"

"No."

"I would."

Ty snorted. "Wouldn't that distract you?"

"It would motivate me. I've always wanted to have a cool dance soundtrack while I'm killing demons. Like in a really bad TV show. I'd have lots of pop. Maybe a few showtunes. Wait!" He grinned. "The soundtrack to _Pirates of the_ _Caribbean_."

"I've never seen that movie."

"You should."

Another group of downworlders filed out of the sanctuary. The music had stopped, Kit realized. The party must be over. He yawned. He didn't know what time it was, but his eyelids were getting heavy. Damn jet lag. Damn wine. At least staying up late would help him adjust to the time difference.

“It’s getting late,” he pointed out reluctantly.

Ty just shrugged and stared at his hands. Kit’s heart contracted in pity. It wasn't hard to figure out that Ty was having a lot of trouble sleeping these days.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he offered softly, figuring this was a better route than asking Ty if he was okay when he clearly wasn’t.

He shrugged again. Looked out at the water. “It’s a lot of things.”

Kit just nodded.

“When I get nightmares,” he offered hesitantly, “I find it helps to read for a bit.”

Ty started. “Really?”

“It’s the only thing I’m allowed to wake up Tessa for,” he explained quickly. “She gets very smug about it.”

Was Kit embarrassed to admit that he, at seventeen years old, still needed his mom to read to him before bed? Absolutely. Would he have said this sober? Probably not. But he had just slept on the floor in front of Ty’s room, so it wasn’t like he had any dignity to lose. Besides, Ty didn’t seem to be judging him.

“What do you read?” Ty sounded genuinely curious.

Kit bit his lip and blushed, suddenly grateful for the low light. That was _not_ something Ty needed to know. It was too much. Too soon.

But then again, Ty was clearly making an effort to bridge this divide between them. Maybe Kit had been the one to follow Ty after his lynx, and to barge into his room asking for a shirt, but Ty had been the one to invite Kit to Los Angeles for Christmas. Ty had been the one to invite him out here for a breath of fresh air.

Maybe it was time Kit extended an olive branch of his own.

“Come on.” He stood up slowly, not quite trusting his limbs, then helped Ty up. “I’ll show you.”

He was wobbling a little bit. Ty reached out to steady him, eyes darting quizzically over Kit’s face as if noticing for the first time that something was amiss. There was a tiny little dent in between his eyebrows, and a crease on his forehead, and it was adorable.

“Are you… drunk?”

Kit bit his lip. “Maybe a little.”

The frown didn’t go away. “Should I get you some water? Or - or some bread, or-”

Kit smiled. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m not that drunk.” It was cute, though, that Ty was concerned.

Ty just shook his head and followed Kit back into the Institute and up the stairs into his room, which was remarkably messy considering how few belongings Kit had brought with him. 

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise.” The outside air had helped clear his head, actually. And though it had been a while since he’d had this much wine in one night, this was far from the most drunk he’d ever been.

Remembering his mission, he dug through his suitcase and pulled out the leather-bound book he had brought with him.

“This is what I’ve been reading,” he said, handing the book to Ty. He held his breath as the other boy took it from him and examined the cover.

His eyes lit up in recognition.

“Sherlock?”

Kit shrugged. “I’d seen the adaptations already, but you made me want to read the books.”

Ty was running his hands over the soft leather cover, carefully thumbing through the yellowing pages. It was an old copy. Kit had practically had to beg Tessa to let him borrow it, and he knew he was the cause of a lot of the wear and tear.

Ty flipped to the first page and read the handwritten inscription. “Lucie Herondale,” he read out. His eyes were shining.

Kit blushed. “Tessa’s kid.” He remembered how he had felt the first time he had seen that inscription, seen that name in that book.

“Kit…” Ty hugged the book to his chest, and Kit saw that his cheeks were flushed. Yes, this had been a good idea.

“Do you want to read it together?” He held his breath - was this too much? - but Ty nodded.

They sat together on Kit’s bed - Kit forcing himself not to think inappropriate thoughts as he arranged the pillows so they could sit comfortably - and once they were settled, Ty, with a nervous glance at Kit, opened it to the page where Kit had left his bookmark, cleared his throat, and began to read.

It took him a few pages to get the hang of it. His voice wavered a bit, and he kept looking over at Kit as if making sure he wasn't bored. Kit could see the tension in his body, the trembling of the pages between Ty's restless fingers. They were nice fingers. Musician's fingers, as Jem would say. Kit's dad would have called them lockpick's fingers.

Gradually, Ty started to relax, sinking back against the pillows and leaning just slightly toward Kit. He smelled nice. Like chocolate and sugar. Maybe a hint of pine. Like Christmas. He hadn't dressed up for the party, exactly - certainly not as much as he had dressed up for the wedding - but he was wearing a crisp button-up tucked into dark pants that Kit may or may not have been ogling all night. The outfit looked uncomfortable, he thought. He should have suggested they get changed.

Ty was definitely getting the hang of this. He was good at it, actually. He had a soft, melodic voice, and he knew the story well. He did all the voices, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration, seemingly oblivious to the world around him.

Kit let himself relax as he focused on the story. He had never been much of a reader, but he liked Sherlock. He liked listening to Ty read Sherlock. Neither of them seemed to notice when Kit’s head started to drift over to Ty’s shoulder, or when his eyelids started to grow heavier with every word, or when Ty had to stop his reading more and more frequently to yawn.

It was okay to close his eyes, Kit thought. It wasn’t like he was reading along.

Before he knew it, he was asleep on Ty’s shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

Kit woke to sunlight streaming in through the window and straight into his eyes. His mouth was dry, his neck was sore, and he was pressed up against something warm and bony. Confused, he lifted his head, blinked his eyes open, and froze.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

He was still propped up against his headboard, half-sitting with his head on Ty’s shoulder. He was pressed up against Ty all the way down to his knees, and his arm had been flung across Ty’s midsection. Kit barely had time to register what had happened when, to his absolute horror, Ty was confusedly pulling away from him and rubbing his eyes. Kit hadn’t just fallen asleep on his shoulder; he had woken him up, too.

He saw the moment Ty realized where he was. His eyes went wide, and he pushed himself up, away from Kit, almost tumbling off the bed. His cheeks were turning pink. Kit thought he might die of embarrassment.

“I am _so_ sorry.”

Ty shook his head. His hair was sticking up all over the place, his shirt riding up to show the smallest strip of bare skin - Kit had to shut his eyes before he made things even more awkward than they already were.

“It’s fine,” Ty said, his voice raspy and sexy and oh god why was Kit being tortured in this way? “I’m the one who fell asleep in your bed.”

He half-fell off the bed, landed on his feet, and ran a hand through his hair, which did nothing to tame it. Kit stayed where he was, and stared. Ty offered a shy smile.

“Um. Thanks, by the way.” He gestured toward the book, which had apparently fallen out of Ty’s hands at some point during the night and was now half-hidden under the covers. Tessa would not be happy. “That… helped. Obviously.”

“No problem,” Kit rasped. A part of him wanted to do something very stupid like invite Ty to read to him every night, but he held back. That would sound _way_ too much like a come on, after what had happened last night.

Ty rubbed his neck and looked like he wanted to say something, but apparently decided against it. With a nod and a tiny smile, he walked out the door. Kit collapsed back onto his bed and wondered if he had just ruined everything.

* * *

The thing is, it should have been awkward between them after that.

When Kit finally made his way to the kitchen for breakfast and saw Ty sitting at the table already, he felt his face heat up, and deliberately avoided the other boy’s eyes. Ty seemed equally determined to ignore him. If anyone else noticed anything, they didn’t say so.

But later, when Ty appeared at his door to ask if he still wanted to go to the beach and if it was okay if Dru came along, Kit grinned and realized that Ty must want this to work out, too.

They had, after all, overcome much worse.

December was not exactly the best time to be on the beach, but moving away had made Kit fully appreciate that in California, there wasn’t really a _bad_ time to be on the beach. He kicked off his shoes and sank his toes into the hot sand, lifting his face up to feel the ocean breeze against his skin. He smelled salt and seafood, and had a childish urge to run right out into the water.

Ty was staring at him. As soon as Kit caught him, the corners of his mouth quirked up.

“No tears?” he teased.

Kit laughed. “I didn’t even realize how much I missed this place.”

“You never do.”

Before Kit could unpack that surprisingly profound bit of wisdom, Ty took off to look for sea creatures, leaving him behind to hang out with Dru.

“You should _see_ what they call a beach in New York,” said Dru, with a shudder. “You couldn’t pay me enough to swim in that water.”

Kit turned to look at her. Her hair was unbound, and she kept reaching up to pull locks of it out of her mouth and away from her face as it whipped around in the wind. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks pink, as they made their way toward the water.

“That’s right, you were at the Academy.” He kept forgetting this detail about Dru, perhaps because he still saw her as Ty’s little sister who mostly stayed behind and looked after Tavvy. It was unfair, he knew: Dru was the same age now that he and Ty had been during the war, and he was pretty sure she was taller than him.

“It’s so great,” she sighed. “I mean, obviously I miss home, but it’s just nice to be doing something productive, you know? And nobody treats me like a kid there.”

“That makes sense.” He could relate to the need to get away, to figure things out for oneself.

He also remembered how it had felt to be benched during the war. It had made him want to train, to become a real Shadowhunter, so it would never have to happen again. He imagined Dru felt similarly.

“Catarina Loss teaches there sometimes,” Dru added, as they reached the water and she dipped her toes in. “She asks about you.”

“Oh.” He had met Catarina a few times. Had even exchanged pleasantries with her at the wedding. It was still kind of weird for him, figuring out how he fit into the Shadowhunter world. He had grown up thinking his dad was his only family, and finding Jace and Tessa and Jem had been overwhelming enough. Finding out that his who-knows-how-many-greats grandmother was a blue warlock who was good friends with Tessa, then meeting her and having to stand there awkwardly as she clapped a hand over her mouth and started crying, had been a little bit weird.

“What did you say to her?” he asked.

Dru shrugged. “That we don’t talk anymore, and she should ask Simon.”

He looked down at his feet. A wave crashed against his ankles, and then receded, leaving him standing in wet sand. This was part of the reason why he hadn’t talked to any of the Blackthorns since moving away. He was so embarrassed. He couldn't face them.

“Will I have to wait another two years to talk to you after this?” He detected a hint of hurt in her voice.

He dug his toes into the sand, watching the water rise and fall. “No.” 

“Good.”

She waded further out into the ocean, the waves soaking her jeans despite the fact that she had rolled them up to her knees. 

Livvy’s ghost hovered next to her, barely visible under the bright sunlight. She was gazing longingly at her sister, no doubt wishing Dru could see her. She turned to face Kit, then, with her arms crossed and a mocking smile playing across her lips. He figured he deserved this.

Kit didn't blame the Blackthorns for being mad at him. He was mad at himself, honestly. After what he had done, it was a miracle that he was here at all, that Ty was even talking to him.

Was it bad that he was kind of relieved to find out how much he had hurt them by leaving? He had honestly assumed they would all be indifferent. Finding out that they had missed him all along was simultaneously horrifying and kind of nice.

That definitely made him a bad person, he thought, as he continued to burrow down into the sand until it reached halfway up his calves. He pulled his feet out with a satisfying sucking sound, and walked out into the water to rinse them off.

Ty trudged up to him, then, holding something in his hand. Kit’s impulse to move toward Ty warred with his impulse to move away from whatever Ty was holding, so he stood his ground, unable to keep a smile off his lips at the sight of his friend covered in sand, his cheeks flushed and his hair sticking up all over the place.

It was a crab. A large one, and as soon as he got a good look at it, Kit shrieked and jumped away, which Ty found hilarious. It was hard to make Ty laugh, but if this did the trick, then Kit would gladly put up with a lifetime of being terrorized by disgusting sea creatures.

“I was thinking,” he said, once Ty had set down the crab and it had scuttled away from them (Kit didn’t know why it wasn’t moving _toward_ them to seek revenge, but he wasn’t complaining), “You’re investigating Livvy’s situation, right?”

Ty nodded. If he was confused about how Kit knew about that, he didn’t say anything. Kit chanced a nervous glance at Livvy, who was watching them intently. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to betray Livvy’s secret.

“Do you think it would help to talk to other ghosts?” He had been thinking about this since his conversation with Livvy. He had no idea if it was possible to help her move on - and to be honest, he felt a little weird about helping out when Ty didn’t know what exactly he and Livvy were trying to learn - but he felt so bad for Livvy that if there was any way he could help gather information about her, he had to try it.

Ty’s entire face lit up at the suggestion. “You’d do that?”

Kit smiled. “Yeah, why not? We can go to a graveyard tonight.”

“What’s this about visiting a graveyard?”

Dru was walking over to them, and had reacted to the word ‘graveyard’ the way Mina reacted to the word ‘cookie’ or ‘playground.’ Ty seemed equally excited.

“Kit’s going to talk to ghosts so we can learn more about Livvy,” Ty explained. “You’re welcome to come.”

If Kit was surprised that Ty was including his sister in these plans, he shoved it down. Dru had been there for Ty throughout the last two years, and Kit hadn’t. That was on him. He had no right to be jealous. He definitely had no right to want Ty for himself.

It was decided. That night, they would gear up and head out to commune with the dead. They were all old enough to go on patrol, so no one would question it.

And nobody did. When Kit, Ty and Dru reconvened in the weapons room that night, dressed in gear and ready for runes and weapons, everyone was just happy to see them all getting along. Jem warned Kit to be careful, but seemed pleased to see him in gear.

Kit was both relieved and disappointed when Dru pulled out her stele and offered to do her brother’s runes for him. Maybe that was for the best, he reasoned. After last night, there was no reason to make things more awkward between them than they already were.

Especially with Dru right there, watching their every move.

Ty returned the favour, and then Dru was helping Kit, brisk and efficient as she covered him in Marks. Then she was done, and they were ready to go.

They made good time moving through the city, keeping quiet in case they came across any demons. Kit really hoped they wouldn’t, not just because it would mean danger, but also because he wanted to impress Ty and showing off his terrible fighting skills just wasn’t the way to do it. He was feeling especially humble after the ass-kicking Emma had delivered a few days ago.

Dru was practically jumping around in excitement by the time they entered the graveyard. Kit had to admit it looked like something right out of a horror movie. There was something about graveyards at night. The quiet. The darkness. The knowledge that they were walking over people’s remains.

And Dru couldn’t even see the ghosts.

At first, Kit had mistaken them for fog, which would have also been very appropriate to the setting. But now that he was looking properly, he could see translucent figures floating over the ground, drifting between the gravestones. He shivered. Dru rounded on him.

“What do you see?” she asked reverently.

“Um…” he explained as well as he could, and Dru looked like she had never envied him more.

Ty was much more practical about it. Together, they decided that Kit would cover one area of the graveyard, with Ty feeding him questions, and Livvy would take the other. Technically, Dru’s job was to keep watch, but they all knew she was there to be a part of their conversations with the ghosts.

Most of the ghosts didn’t want to talk. Kit wasn’t surprised. Most floated away or disappeared as soon as he got close to them, while a few came up to taunt him but didn’t answer any of his questions. 

Eventually, though, they did get a few answers. Ty approached the whole topic with characteristic intensity, and Dru just seemed thrilled to be there, throwing in questions about how the ghosts had died and what kind of disturbing things they had seen and whether or not they were able to break things. Ty seemed annoyed, but Kit thought they were excellent questions, and asked every single one of them.

And if he twisted the truth a little bit when relating the ghosts' answers to Dru, nobody had to know except the ghosts, who were very unimpressed and usually disappeared soon afterward.

They didn’t learn much - most of their real questions were about what the ghosts' unfinished business was, what tied them to this world, and how they might be able to move on, and none of the answers were particularly surprising - but when it became clear that they had gotten all the information they could out of them, Ty and Livvy both seemed satisfied.

Dru, of course, wanted to stick around longer, but they all agreed to try again the following night with a different graveyard.

* * *

Dru ran off to her room as soon as they got back to the Institute, but Ty lingered at Kit’s side, sticking with him all the way up the stairs, and then pausing at the top, as if hesitant to go to his own room just yet.

“Everything okay?”

“Um.” Ty’s cheeks were turning pink. He looked down at the floor, his hands fluttering at his sides. “Do you think we could read again? Only if it’s okay with you!” he added quickly. “I just… I slept well last night.” He exhaled.

Kit grinned. This was the best thing he had heard all day.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just get changed and meet you in your room?”

Ty smiled, agreed, and they split up.

Taking off gear was no easy task, and Kit had forgotten to put his weapons back where they belonged, so he narrowly avoided stabbing himself as he peeled off layers of tough leather and tossed them haphazardly around the room. It’s not like anything else was in its proper place. He had given up on keeping his room tidy a long time ago.

Then he realized that keeping knives on his floor was probably a bad idea, and retrieved his weapons so he could place them carefully on his desk.

Unfortunately, he had only packed one pair of pyjamas, and they had cartoon superheroes all over them. Childish and embarrassing, yes, but he figured he had already embarrassed himself enough in front of Ty that the other boy probably didn’t care anymore.

Probably.

He picked up the book and shuffled down the hallway. Thankfully, his soundless rune still hadn’t worn off, so he wasn’t at risk of waking anyone up. He didn’t really want to explain why he was going to Ty’s room in the middle of the night.

Ty answered the door dressed in plain blue pyjamas. Kit thought he looked weirdly exposed without his headphones. He looked nervous too, biting his lip and wringing his hands. Kit smiled, held up the book, and tried to act natural as he walked over to Ty’s bed.

In truth, he was freaking out a little bit. This wasn’t weird, was it? It’s not like it really meant anything. He was just helping Ty sleep. Honestly, he was helping himself sleep, too.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder, as Ty settled in beside him and opened up the book, if it was wrong of him to let this continue, when his feelings for Ty were _definitely_ not just platonic.

No, definitely not platonic, he thought, hopelessly, as Ty began to read and he had to suppress an embarrassing sigh. Ty was definitely getting the hang of this. Kit felt himself relax almost instantly, and noted with pride that Ty's fingers weren't even shaking against the pages.

He felt Ty shift just slightly, angling himself toward Kit so he could read along if he wanted to. Kit could hear him breathing, could see his chest rise and fall. Tentatively, still unsure if this was okay, Kit leaned his head on his shoulder.

Ty smiled, but didn’t comment on it. He leaned into Kit, tilted his head down to rest on Kit's, and kept reading.

And for the second night in a row, Kit fell asleep on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am officially done pre-writing (the first draft of) this fic so please feel free to send me an ask if you want snippets or have questions or just to talk because I have more free time than I know what to do with now lol


	9. Chapter 9

He had to stop doing this.

This was his third time in a row waking up sore and uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, and his second time waking up in the same bed as Tiberius Blackthorn.

Once was embarrassing enough, but seriously? This was getting out of control.

Ty was already awake. Their eyes met, and after a beat of silence, they both burst out laughing.

“I am so sorry,” Kit laughed, covering his mouth. “We need to stop doing this.”

“My back might never recover, but at least I’m sleeping.”

That just prompted another round of giggles.

* * *

The days between Christmas and New Year’s flew by. When he wasn’t sneaking around with Ty and Dru, Kit hung out with the other Blackthorns, who slowly started to warm up to him even if they weren't exactly friendly. Jem and Tessa went on long walks together and met up with downworld friends. Mina received more attention than she ever had in her life. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their little family vacation.

One day, Mark came up to Kit for help with his phone - he had somehow managed to set up hundreds of alarms so that he was being bothered at all hours of the day and night with reminders to ‘change shirt’ and ‘look at the stars’ and ‘eat lettuce.’ When Kit asked about them, Mark simply gave him an incredulous look and said "those are all important things!"

In a stroke of genius, Kit set him up with a Twitter account. Mark gleefully used it to announce every thought that popped into his head, and continued to come to Kit for help with technology.

Mark, at least, seemed to have forgiven him for what he had done two years ago.

Kit ended up spending most of his days training. It wasn’t his favourite activity, but he didn’t often have access to an Institute training room, and he didn’t have an excuse not to join in on Diana’s daily lessons. It was kind of embarrassing that he was closer to Tavvy’s level than to Ty’s and Dru’s, but he swallowed his pride and told himself that the only way to improve was to try.

And yes, maybe his favourite training days were the ones when Ty helped him out. Try as he might to seem chill and cool about the whole thing, he was finally willing to admit to himself that he basically lived for the moments when Ty would walk over to him with that cute little frown on his face and tell him that his stance was all wrong or, on one particularly memorable occasion, that he didn’t have enough upper body strength to use the sword he had picked out.

Kit’s ego was still recovering from that one.

Ty’s presence in training sessions more than made up for the fact that he was spending several hours a day doing exercise, and he soon found himself looking forward to them. Not as much, however, as he looked forward to the nighttime.

Every night, he, Ty and Dru all geared up and went out to commune with the dead, with Livvy’s help. It became clear after the second or third visit that they weren’t going to get any more useful information out of these ghosts, but they kept going out anyway, because it was fun and they usually ended up actually going on patrol once they had given up at the graveyard.

And while Kit still wasn't particularly good at killing demons, neither of the Blackthorn siblings commented on it.

One day, Ty called them over to where he was crouched beside a bush, examining something in the grass. Kit ran up to him, worried something might be wrong.

“What is it?”

“It’s a rabbit. Look!”

He pulled back the leaves just enough for Kit to be able to see a tiny bundle of fur, only visible to him because of his night vision rune.

“It looks too small to be a rabbit,” said Livvy.

“It’s just a baby.”

Ty reached out and scooped up the tiny creature, which did in fact appear to be a very small brown rabbit. There was no sign of any mother. Kit knew what Ty was about to say before he even said it.

“We have to take it home with us.”

Dru sighed. “Not again.”

“We can’t just leave it here!”

“Ty.” Kit placed his hand on his shoulder. “You have a pet lynx.”

“They could learn to get along!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

But Ty was cradling the shivering baby animal against his chest, his thumb gently stroking its back, and Kit’s resolve completely shattered. Maybe they could figure something out.

“Well, _I’m_ not keeping it,” said Dru. “I’m terrible with animals. Maybe it could stay in your room, Kit?”

Kit tensed.

He had not been using his room very much as of late.

After their second time falling asleep while reading, he and Ty had made an effort to spend a night in separate beds, and had both emerged the next morning having barely slept.

That night, Ty had tentatively asked if Kit might read to him again, and, when they had both started nodding off, Kit, in a moment of bravery that had only been possible because of utter exhaustion, had asked if it would be okay if he spent the night.

And now it was a thing.

The bed was big enough for both of them to sleep in comfortably without touching, so that’s exactly what they did. It didn’t mean anything. They just… slept better when they were together.

Still, Kit was always very careful when leaving Ty’s room in the mornings. Dru definitely did not need to know about it.

He coughed. “Maybe.”

Behind Dru, Livvy smirked. Kit wished he could flip her off without Dru noticing.

“Irene could sleep outside for a little bit,” Ty whispered to him as they were walking back, Dru a few paces ahead of them. “Just until she gets used to the rabbit.”

It was as good an idea as any. Irene was spending more and more time outside these days, as she slowly readjusted to L.A. If Ty thought she would be okay with it, he was probably right.

Kit still didn’t have a lot of confidence in Ty’s plan to introduce the two animals, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it.

They picked up some of the finest grasses and leaves on their way back, Ty determining from the size of the animal that it was probably big enough to eat solid food. When they got back, Ty set the food on his floor, prepared a small dish of water, and tore up an old t-shirt to make a sort of bed for the animal, promising to make her something better in the morning.

Kit was still worried about the animal’s health, but Ty seemed to think it would be okay, and Kit trusted him.

When they were lying side-by-side in the dark, Ty turned to face him.

“Hey Kit.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what a baby rabbit is called?”

Kit frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“A kit.”

He shot Ty the most unimpressed look he could muster. “You’re kidding.”

Ty giggled. “Nope. Do you think we should call him Christopher?”

“Shut up.”

“What should we call him, them?”

“Simon,” Kit replied without missing a beat. He didn’t even know why he said it. There was just something about the tiny brown rodent that made him think of his friend.

Ty laughed again. “Okay. Simon the rabbit.”

“I love it.”

* * *

If anyone at the Institute noticed that things had changed between the two of them, they didn’t say anything. In truth, _Kit_ wasn’t even sure when or how things had changed. He had just woken up one morning and realized that waking up next to Ty wasn’t weird anymore.

Somehow, miraculously, they had become friends again.

And Kit was determined not to mess it up this time.

On New Year’s Eve, they found themselves alone on the streets of Los Angeles. They had given up altogether on the idea of talking to the ghosts, and Dru had apparently had better things to do tonight than join them on patrol. Kit was more than happy to have a bit of one-on-one time with Ty on his last night in Los Angeles.

They weren’t the only Shadowhunters out on patrol tonight, as any holiday that involved large numbers of people out on the streets after dark was bound to attract lots of demons. It had, however, been a surprisingly quiet night so far, and by 11pm they were casually walking along rooftops without a care in the world.

Ty had his headphones over his ears. After much pleading on Kit's part, he had finally let Kit pick out his playlist for tonight, and was humming along contentedly to the upbeat dance music Kit had selected, occasionally shooting Kit an amused smile as the song changed and he was subjected to another one of Kit’s selections.

Kit didn't know if the music was helping or hurting, but Ty seemed completely in his element as he walked along slanted rooftops and narrow poles with all the careless grace of an acrobat, head turning this way and that as he stayed on the alert for potential threats. Maybe the acrobat comparison was inaccurate, Kit thought. Ty looked more like a bird, or perhaps a squirrel. He made this whole thing look positively easy, and Kit knew for a fact that it was absolutely _not_ easy.

He hung back and watched, placing his feet where Ty's had been, arms outstretched for balance. He was mostly relying on Ty to keep watch as he essentially used this as an extra training session. Ty didn't seem to mind, though, and Kit could tell he was slowing down his pace so that Kit could keep up, occasionally shooting back tips on improving his balance. Every time he turned around to offer advice, it made Kit lose his balance a little bit as he smiled stupidly and felt his cheeks heat up.

Worth it, though.

Today was a bittersweet day for the both of them. Tomorrow, Kit would go back to Devon, and Ty would return to the Scholomance, and neither of them had any idea when they would see each other next.

Kit was still trying very hard not to think about it.

It had been easy enough up to his point. He had been so focused on fixing things with Ty, on making sure the other boy wasn’t hurt and didn’t hate him, that he hadn’t really had the time to think about what might happen afterward.

They would write, of course, and maybe they would find a way to see each other during the summer, but things would not be the same. There would be no more reading together, no more sleeping in the same bed, no more tragically one-sided flirting during training sessions. If he was being completely honest, the more time he spent with Ty, the more panicked Kit felt at the idea of going their separate ways come the morning.

He shook his head, following Ty off a roof and down onto the street. Thinking about the future would only upset him, and he was determined to enjoy this last night.

Everywhere, mundanes were sitting on their cars, on rooftops, on balconies. Nobody could see the pair of Shadowhunters, of course, since they were glamoured, but they still had to make sure to avoid the mundanes as they wove through the crowds.

Kit overheard a snippet of conversation, and called out for Ty to stop. It took a minute, as he was apparently quite absorbed in his music and utterly focused on the task at hand.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, pulling off his headphones.

“It’s almost midnight.”

It took Ty a minute to understand, but when he did, he grinned.

“New Year’s.”

“Wanna watch the fireworks?”

Ty nodded, and they began to search for the best possible spot. As Nephilim, they had an advantage over the mundanes, in that they were well practiced at climbing large structures and perfectly comfortable on rooftops. 

Or at least, most of them were.

Trust Ty to pick out the tallest building in their area, and scale it with the same ease with which he climbed trees. Kit gulped, but followed his friend, albeit at a much slower and more careful pace.

Ty didn’t seem to realize that Kit was so far behind him until he had already reached the top, and looked down to find Kit struggling to follow him up the building. He calmly offered instructions and encouragement, and soon he was pulling Kit up onto the roof of the apartment building.

Kit caught his breath. He’d never been this high up in the air before, and Ty had been right to pick this spot. He could see _everything_.

Carefully, he sat down next to Ty and let his feet dangle off the roof. He didn’t know what time it was, but he figured the mundanes would probably start counting down at some point to let him know when it was almost midnight.

Ty was leaning back on his hands, his face turned up to the sky. He had taken his headphones off. He looked over at Kit. “So. 2014, huh?” 

“It was a good year.” It hadn't been that great, actually, but this last week had made up for it. He was going into 2015 with Tiberius Blackthorn as a friend. That alone was cause for celebration.

Ty was staring at him now, eyes moving slowly over his face with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine. Kit thought that maybe they were talking about the same thing when Ty said, quietly, “next year will be better."

“You think so?”

Ty nodded, and suddenly they were both smiling, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Ty was looking right into Kit’s eyes.

He reached up to push back a lock of Kit’s hair. His fingers were cold as they brushed against his forehead and hovered there just a little bit longer than necessary. Kit held his breath, and felt his stomach do a slow flip.

Ty's cheeks were flushed. He was dressed in gear, and the dark runes on his neck and collarbone stood out starkly against his pale skin. They were sitting very close together, and Kit could smell ichor and sweat and leather as Ty's fingers moved down, first to play with the hair around Kit’s ears, and then further down to cup his jaw and run his fingers over the slight brushing of stubble. Kit’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the other boy’s hand. Ty just liked the texture, he told himself. It didn't mean anything more.

Kit swallowed. His entire body was alive with energy, every touch of Ty’s fingers sending electricity coursing through his veins.

“You know,” he said, trying to keep his voice light and teasing while his heart was in his throat. “Mundanes have this tradition on New Year’s.”

“What is it?”

He looked up at Ty. The other boy's eyes were almost completely black, with only a thin line of silver around the pupils. Kit was still fascinated by them, by the long eyelashes that framed them, by every line on Ty's beautiful face. He thought of what Ty looked like when he was flustered, whenever Kit's flirting went a little too far and he blushed and looked away and fidgeted with his necklace and struggled to catch his breath.

He loved all of Ty's facial expressions, but that one was his favourite.

He wanted to see it again.

His lips quirked up at the corners. He let his gaze drop down to Ty's lips. “Mundanes always kiss someone at midnight.”

Ty's lips parted. “We’re not mundanes,” he said practically, his voice trembling just the tiniest bit. His hand fell back into the space between them, but he didn't lean away.

Kit tilted his chin up and tried for a cocky grin. "You saying you wouldn’t kiss me?” he teased.

Ty swallowed. He opened his mouth, but didn't say anything, still staring down at Kit.

Kit wasn’t really fishing for a kiss here. As much as he ached to lean forward and close that tiny bit of distance between them - and he truly thought he might go crazy with how badly he wanted that - this wasn’t how he wanted their first kiss to go. Not that there was ever going to be a first kiss between them, he corrected himself hurriedly.

Still, he couldn’t help a twinge of disappointment when Ty pulled back sharply and looked up at the sky.

The silence between them felt impossibly heavy.

Ty's hands were tapping some unfamiliar rhythm on the roof. His cheeks were bright red. He was biting his lip. There it was, Kit thought triumphantly. The look he'd been chasing.

“Ty-”

He didn’t get the chance to say anything, though, because it was at that very moment that the chanting reached his ears, only audible from his high up because of his hearing rune.

_Nine! Eight! Seven!_

He tore his gaze away from Ty and looked down at the streets, where mundanes were standing on top of cars, holding up drinks as they counted down the seconds until the New Year. He scooted closer to the other boy as they watched the festivities together. Their sides were pressed together now, from their hips to their knees all the way down to their ankles. Summoning every bit of courage he had left, Kit leaned his head on the taller boy’s shoulder.

Ty froze, and then, slowly, reached around so his arm was around Kit, his hand resting on his waist. There were several layers of thick leather gear separating Ty's hand from his side, and yet Kit could feel it as clearly as if Ty were touching his bare skin. He looked down at where Ty was touching him, fascinated, and knew his face must be embarrassingly red. He felt Ty exhale slowly, his breath stirring Kit’s hair.

“Thanks for coming to L.A.,” Ty said softly, his hand absently moving over the gear on Kit’s side, making Kit's breathing hitch. “It’s been nice having you here.”

Kit was still fixated on Ty's hand. “Thanks for inviting me.”

He couldn’t see Ty’s face. He certainly didn’t know what was going through his head. But he could feel the weight of Ty’s chin as he rested it on his head, feel the heat radiating off him as Kit leaned against him.

And he could feel Ty’s breath against his skin when he spoke.

“I just wish I knew why it took you so long to talk to me.”

Kit closed his eyes. “I didn’t think you cared that much.”

“Of course I cared.”

He knew that now, of course. Maybe it had taken him a while to figure it out, but he had, eventually.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

The fireworks were still going off. Parties were raging on below them. Kit knew they weren’t going to get any more work done tonight.

He wasn’t ready to go back just yet, though. This was his last night with Ty, and he could think of no better way to spend it than by sitting on a rooftop watching fireworks with him.

And, he thought with a smile, he got the sense Ty was feeling the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Juneteenth! Please watch 13th on Netflix or YouTube if you haven't already!


	10. Chapter 10

Kit spent his first week back in Devon desperately trying to distract himself with training and quality time with his family. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to think about Ty, he told himself as he practically flew across the dirt road that ran behind their house and that he had started using for his morning runs. Thinking about Ty was one of his favourite things to do, and he was extremely good at it. It was just that his trip to Los Angeles had brought a lot of feelings to the surface, and Kit did not like thinking about his feelings. Or talking about them. Or acknowledging them at all.

So maybe he was quite urgently in need of something to occupy his mind that wasn’t the memory of that night on the roof when Ty had put his arm around him and they had maybe possibly almost kissed.

Or maybe they hadn’t almost kissed. Maybe Kit was imagining things because he had really wanted to kiss Ty in that moment and now he was trying to convince himself that Ty might have been okay with it when the more rational part of his mind knew that it would have just made things awkward between them, because Ty obviously didn’t like him in that way.

Right?

He pushed himself harder, desperate to chase these thoughts from his brain. There was a light dusting of snow on the grass beside him and on the branches over his head, but Kit hadn’t come across any patches of ice just yet, and to be completely honest, he didn’t care that much. _Iratzes_ existed for a reason.

He was almost back at his house. He could see the neighbor's sheep field, now. The donkey’s ears pricked up as she noticed him, always on the alert for potential threats to her charges. The flock would probably come running any minute now. He couldn’t hold back a smile as he slowed down his pace and jogged over to the fence.

He climbed up onto the second rung, leaning over the fence so he could say hello to his friends, who had, indeed, rushed up to him as soon as they had seen him. The donkey, of course, was deliberately ignoring him as she hung back well out of his reach. Kit wasn’t offended. That donkey hated everyone, and Kit most of all.

“Hello, lovely ladies,” he cooed, reaching down so they could search his hand for treats. It was much too cold out for him to be spending too much time out here dressed as he was, but he couldn’t exactly walk away after they had all come over to see him.

“I know it’s been _ages_ since we last talked,” he said, scratching one of the sheep on her fluffy head. “I’ve got so much to tell you guys as soon as I convince myself it wasn’t a dream.”

He knew perfectly well that he hadn’t dreamed any of what had happened over the holidays, even though both he and Ty had done an excellent job of pretending so. They had kept a foot of distance between them during their walk back to the Institute, fallen asleep on their respective sides of the bed without saying much, and then said goodbye to each other the next morning as if they were nothing more than family friends who would probably see each other around at some point in the distant future.

It was probably better this way, to be honest.

“I won’t spoil anything,” he promised, “but I’m pretty sure we’re friends now, so that’s cool. You guys might even get to meet him one day! I’m sure he’d love you. Actually!” he jumped off the fence and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I told him I’d send him pictures of you guys, so smile!”

He snapped a few pictures and pocketed his phone. His fingers were starting to go numb.

“That’s right,” he announced proudly, shaking his arms to try and get the blood flowing. “I’m _texting_ him now.”

Of course, Kit added in his head, their text conversations were mostly just them sending each other animal pictures. Somehow, Kit had ended up taking custody of Simon the baby rabbit, since he, unlike Ty, had access to a pet store and didn’t share a room with a murderous lynx. Besides, he had grown attached to the little guy in the few days they had been together, so he hadn’t exactly complained when Ty had suggested the arrangement.

Jem had quickly grown attached to him as well, and, much like Ty, insisted that a baby rabbit could learn to get along with his cat. He spent many hours in the living room with Simon in his hands, trying to convince Church that the rabbit wasn’t food.

Church did not get the message, and eventually they gave up and decided to keep their two pets apart. Since Kit had never liked Church very much in the first place, this worked perfectly well for him.

His camera roll was now full of pictures of Simon, who was slowly becoming more active and eating more food. The little guy could still barely hop on his own, but sometimes his tiny ears pricked up and he wrinkled his nose as he sniffed the air and Kit realized that this tiny animal owned his entire heart.

It was also his best excuse to talk to Ty - he sent him pictures almost every day, along with updates on every cute thing he did, which Ty seemed to enjoy immensely, responding with similar anecdotes about Irene. 

Kit had even started sending pictures to the real Simon, who had been confused at first.

 _Not that I’m complaining about the sudden baby animal_ , he texted the first time Kit sent him a picture out of the blue, _but why did you just send this to me?_

 _His name is Simon!_ Kit had written back.

It had taken Simon a minute to respond.

_Did Jace tell you about the incident_

Kit frowned. _What incident?_

 _Never mind_ _  
__Keep sending bunny pictures please_

These days Kit was trying to figure out a way to make a tiny pair of glasses for the rabbit, just to make him look a little more like the real Simon in his pictures. It was a great distraction from thinking about Ty.

Although, he noted, none of his distractions were working particularly well today. He had set out for a run, and here he was, talking about Ty to an audience of farm animals.

“I should probably go,” he admitted reluctantly. He was getting uncomfortably cold now. “I’m actually supposed to write a letter to Ty, which, _wow_ , not something I’m good at.”

One of the sheep turned around and bolted for the other end of the field. _Same_ , thought Kit.

This whole letter writing thing had actually been taking up a lot of space in his mind for the last few days, and especially since this morning, when Ty’s first letter had arrived.

The letter was short and factual, with perfect grammar, and mostly just related everything that had happened to Ty over the last week, which wasn’t much, and wasn’t even all new information. It wasn’t exactly a love letter, but it sounded so much like Ty that Kit had hugged it to his chest and shed a few tears in the comfort of his room.

He had tried, on multiple occasions, to write a proper letter to Ty, as he had promised he would. But every time he pulled out a sheet of paper and sat down to write, all he could think about was that moment on the roof when Ty had cradled his face and looked into his eyes and Kit had honestly considered leaning forward and kissing him. He couldn’t exactly talk about _that_ in his letters.

So his pages remained blank, and with every day that passed he had felt more guilty about not writing.

And now it was pretty much the only thing he could think about.

Deciding he couldn’t procrastinate for any longer, he bid goodbye to the sheep and jogged the rest of the way back.

* * *

Once he had showered and eaten and gotten dressed and done pretty much everything he possibly could to avoid writing the letter, he sat down at his desk and pulled out a pen and paper.

He could do this. He could definitely do this.

It was just a letter.

 _Ty,_ he started. Ty had addressed his letter simply to _Kit_ , so he figured he might as well copy him.

 _Good to hear you’re doing well._ Nope. That was weird. Way too formal. He discarded the paper and started again.

 _Devon is boring. The sheep say hi._ Was that okay? He figured that since Ty had mostly written about his week, Kit might as well do the same.

 _Writing letters is weird_ , he continued, deciding that stream of consciousness was the best way to go. _Why can’t we just text? I’m not good at this. I need emojis and memes, not words._

 _I’m going to keep sending you memes, by the way. I don’t care if you don’t understand them. I’m going to explain them to you in great detail. Please do not hesitate to ask._

_As you have seen from the pictures I sent, Simon is growing quickly and getting cuter by the day. I don’t know why I never adopted a rabbit before. This is the best idea I’ve ever had. I think I would die for him._

_So anyways, I’m sorry if my letters are boring, or if my grammar makes you want to gouge your eyes out. You’re just going to have to accept me the way I am._

His letter-writing was interrupted, quite rudely, by his phone buzzing to indicate an incoming text. It was from Mark Blackthorn, of all people.

 _kit how do i stop the twitter_ , it read.

He frowned. He had completely forgotten about the Twitter account he had set up for Mark during his stay at the Institute. Was he tired of it already? _Do you mean delete it?_ He typed out, and hit send.

 _no stop the messages_ _  
__some of them are very mean_ _  
__although some of them are very flattering_ _  
__do i have to send naked pictures to everyone?_

Kit had been in the middle of typing out instructions for turning off notifications when the last text came in, and his eyes just about popped out of his head.

 _YOU SENT THEM PICTURES???_ He replied.

He could practically hear Mark's calm voice in the next text.

 _yes i posted them_ _  
__was i not supposed to do that?_

Kit pulled up the Twitter app and started typing Mark's name into the search bar. What had he done? He clicked on Mark's profile, and did a double take when he saw the follower count.

What had _happened_ over the last week?

He scrolled down just far enough to confirm that Mark had, indeed, posted nudes on his Twitter account - no, that was not an image he would ever be able to unsee - and then returned to that impossibly high follower count.

What was happening? 

He sent out instructions on how to delete the tweet and turn off all notifications, along with an all-caps reminder to NEVER SEND OR POST NAKED PICTURES, and when Mark had done both of those things and thanked him profusely for his help, he scrolled down again. 

Mark appeared to have become an overnight internet sensation.

His tweets, which Kit had to begrudgingly admit were works of art even if Mark hadn't meant them as such, all had retweet counts in the tens of thousands. They ranged from the ridiculous - _sir why are you kicking me out of this theatre. this is a musical and i am simply contributing more music_ \- to the slightly concerning - _for personal reasons i will require more knives_ \- to Kit's personal favourite, _i think i will eat a blackberry today._

His most popular tweet was from yesterday, and read simply _whoever stole my wallet on the subway please return it. you will know it is mine because it is empty._

The best part, Kit thought as he scrolled through the replies and stifled a laugh, was that all the mundanes seemed to think he was some absurdist comedian, but anyone who knew Mark personally would be able to tell that he was being completely serious.

The right thing to do, of course, would be to put an end to this right away. Mark had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and it probably wasn't fair to let him turn himself into a meme. However, Kit was not always big on doing the right thing, and the more tweets he read, the more convinced he became that he had just provided a valuable service to the world. It would be unfair to take it away. 

Plus, he remembered suddenly that he could access Mark's account, seeing as he had created it and knew the password. He could monitor it and make sure Mark didn't do anything stupid.

* * *

He still hadn’t finished the letter.

He was sitting on the couch now, using one of his Sherlock books as a hard surface. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t write this.

He and Ty were friends now. This was the kind of thing they did. Friends wrote letters to each other when they were apart. But was this all they were ever going to do? How often were they going to see each other now? Kit was shocked at how intensely he _missed_ his friend now that they were apart for the foreseeable future.

He started to write, and then stopped, because Tessa was standing in the open doorway, and Kit was suddenly aware of the fact that his cheeks were wet. He hurriedly reached up to wipe away the tears, but Tessa had seen, and the look of pity on her face was absolutely heartbreaking.

Kit had told his parents almost nothing about what had happened with Ty at Lake Lyn two years ago, and had tried his very best to act like everything was fine. Still, they had both lived long lives and dealt with many young Shadowhunters just like him, and Kit knew they saw right through his act. 

He appreciated that they never pushed the topic.

“Oh, Kit…”

Apparently sensing that Kit wanted to be comforted right now - she always knew exactly what he needed, he thought - Tessa crossed the room to sit next to Kit on the couch. She set his letter aside and put her arms around him. Kit buried his face in her shoulder.

It had been difficult, at first, for Kit to see Tessa and Jem as parental figures, since they both looked about Jace’s age. But they both had such strong _parent_ energy. It had become very clear to him very early on that Tessa had done this before, and been good at it. Now, he often found himself wishing he had had someone like her to hold him when he was little and tell him everything was going to be okay.

“Kit,” she said again, gently rubbing his shoulder. “You’re breaking my heart.”

There was nothing that Tessa - or anyone, for that matter - could do to help Kit, and the last thing he wanted to do was sully her opinion of him by telling her about all the terrible things he had said to Ty and all the pain he had caused him. But he hadn’t realized until this moment just how much he was hurting _Tessa_ by keeping all this from her.

Tessa just wanted to help.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she knew.

“I’m still in love with him.”

The tears were flowing again, and Tessa was holding him the way she held Mina when she was upset, the way she must have held her other children all those years ago, and Kit didn’t know what he had ever done to deserve her.

“Tiberius?” she asked, and when he nodded, she kissed the top of his head and hugged him a little tighter.

“I messed things up,” he continued, because suddenly he found that he didn’t want to hide things from Tessa anymore, and well, she hadn’t pulled away from him yet. “I wouldn’t forgive me if I was him. But I think he forgives me. And now I don’t know when I’ll see him again. And I love him so much it _hurts_ sometimes.”

He had stopped crying now, thankfully, but he had no desire to leave the comfort of Tessa’s arms.

Thankfully, Tessa did not laugh at him or dismiss him as being overdramatic. Instead, she leaned her head against his.

“These things take time, Kit. Whatever you did, you just have to make sure he knows you regret it. The rest is up to him.”

Kit didn’t say anything. He knew Tessa was right. She was always right. He knew it was up to Ty, not him, to decide whether or not he deserved forgiveness. He didn’t tell Tessa that what worried him the most was that they’d never get a real chance to fix things between them. He didn’t know if he could deal with a lifetime of not knowing exactly where he stood with Ty Blackthorn.

“You’re not commenting on the fact that I’m in love with a boy,” he said instead.

Tessa froze.

“Do you want me to?” She sounded genuinely surprised.

Kit shrugged. He felt weird. He avoided serious conversation whenever possible, usually reverting to sarcasm and dumb jokes whenever he came too close to talking about his feelings, and he felt weirdly exposed now.

“You didn’t really think I’d be weird about it, did you?” She sounded genuinely upset.

Kit shrugged again. “You grew up in a different era.”

“Yes,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “an era in which gay people didn’t exist. Come on, Kit, you know me better than that.”

He did know her better than that. He had heard her talk about her nieces and nephews and their friends, and even about Magnus and Alec and Helen and Aline and all the other queer people she had known throughout history. Tessa was not a homophobe.

“I don’t know.” he sighed. “Guess it’s different when it’s your own kid.”

“No.” Tessa placed another kiss on his head. “It’s not.”

She squeezed him a little tighter.

“And,” she added slowly, “I won’t tell Jem if you don’t want me to, but you know you can tell him, right?”

Kit nodded again, and slowly sat up, Tessa’s arms still around him.

“Thanks,” he said, with a small smile. Tessa reached up to brush his hair back from his face.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “You know that right? I know it hurts right now, but things will work out. They always do.”

“I know,” Kit assured her, even if he didn’t fully believe it. Then he threw his arms around her neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, and kissed his forehead as he pulled away. “You’ll come to me if you need anything?”

He nodded, and when Tessa had left the room and he was once again alone with his letter and his thoughts, he felt a little bit better.

* * *

Kit managed to finish his letter and send it off to Ty, and soon enough they had established a schedule of writing to each other once a week. Ty’s letters were quickly becoming the highlight of Kit’s week, and writing him back became something he actually looked forward to.

He didn’t get any better at writing them, though.

He mostly just wrote about his life. He told Ty about the movies he saw with Tessa and the books she forced him to read. He wrote about his progress in training and about Mina and Jem and every boring interaction he had while out on the town. He relayed every cute thing Mina said and described their favourite rabbit’s growth. He provided updates on which sheep were due to give birth soon. Ty seemed to enjoy the letters, and wrote back with things he learned in class as well as updates on Livvy and Irene.

Kit tried, over and over again, to write something more substantial, more honest, but apparently that just wasn’t his thing. If anything, he was even more closed off in his letters than he was in person. 

He kind of hated himself for it, but this was just how his brain worked, apparently. It was one thing to start rambling to Ty while they were deep in conversation and the other boy was visibly hanging on to his every word, and quite another to put his feelings down on paper and send them off for Ty to read and judge.

He had known, objectively, that things with Ty would not be the same while they were apart, and was eternally grateful for what they did have, but there were still days when he mourned what they had lost now that they were no longer living together.

He could feel this friendship slipping through his fingers, even as the letters kept coming and their phone calls became more and more frequent.

January and February passed by uneventfully, and before he knew it, Kit was lying on the living room floor on a rainy day in March as Mina showed off all the books she had received for her third birthday. 

A knock sounded on the front door. Tessa jumped up to get it, and Kit turned his attention back to Mina’s book, knowing that most of their visitors were friends of Tessa’s and that whatever was happening at the front door probably didn’t concern him.

“So who’s that guy?” he asked, pointing to a character at random.

“That’s the bad guy,” Mina explained. Upon closer inspection, Kit realized he should have been able to guess that. The character was dressed in a long black trench coat and depicted wearing an evil smirk.

“He looks pretty evil,” he agreed.

“And that’s the good guy,” she said, turning the page and pointing to a much more sympathetic-looking character. If only real life were so simple, Kit thought.

“Kit!” Tessa’s voice rang out through the house, interrupting their conversation.

“What is it?” he yelled back, not even bothering to look up from Mina’s book.

“Could you come here, please?”

Kit frowned. It was weird enough that someone was paying them a visit, but why couldn’t they come inside? And why was Kit needed? He pushed himself up off the floor and padded around the corner to the front door.

He froze as soon as he saw who was waiting there.

Ty was standing in the doorway, soaking wet and clutching a piece of paper, a tracking rune scrawled across his hand. He met Kit’s eyes, and the expression on his face made Kit stop short.

He held up the hand that was clutching the paper, apparently oblivious to the rain still pouring down over him.

“I need to talk to you,” he yelled over the rain, his voice laced with panic. “Right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to popular demand you can now follow Mark on Twitter @MarkABlckthorn


	11. Chapter 11

Neither Jem nor Tessa asked any questions about Ty’s presence in their home. Jem immediately got to work making tea, and Tessa stepped back as Kit led the other boy up the stairs to his room. As soon as the door closed behind them, he started searching his dresser.

“I’ve got some sweatpants that’ll fit you, just give me a sec.”

“It’s fine. I portaled. I was only outside for a few minutes.”

“You’re soaking.” Kit pushed a bundle of clothes into Ty’s arms. “I’ll go get your tea. You put these on.” He didn’t leave room for negotiation, just strode out of the room and down the stairs.

His heart was racing as he made his way down to the kitchen. Everything was happening so _quickly_. He could barely process the fact that Ty was actually here, in his house, after three months of not seeing each other. Throw in the fact that something was obviously very, very wrong and that it probably had something to do with Kit… it was almost too much.

Jem had two cups of tea ready to go, and Kit thanked him as he carefully grabbed the handles, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He didn’t know how Ty liked his tea, but this stuff was good with or without sugar and it would warm him up.

“Is everything alright?” Jem asked carefully.

Kit did not know if everything was alright, and if Ty’s expression when he had shown up at their door was anything to go by, there was a pretty good chance nothing was alright, but he reassured Jem that he was handling things, and headed back up to his room.

Since his hands were occupied, he kicked the door as gently as possible. “Are you decent?” he called out.

Ty let him in. He was wearing a Captain America t-shirt of Kit’s that didn’t quite meet the hem of the grey sweatpants, his hair damp and clinging to his cheeks. Without his headphones, his neck looked unusually long and pale, the silver scars of old runes visible when they never had been before. Livvy was hovering beside him, looking just as scared as he was.

Tiberius took the mug Kit handed him, but didn’t drink. His fingers tapped against the ceramic surface as he stared down at the hot liquid.

Kit sat down on his bed. It was weird, having Ty here in his room. The other boy looked around, taking in the pile of clothes on the floor, the stack of books on the bedside table, the collection of half-empty mugs, the letters covering every inch of the desk. Even in his state of obvious distress, he seemed to be judging Kit just a little bit.

How much time had Kit spent lying on this bed thinking of Ty? Sitting at that desk writing to him? Wishing Ty could be here with him? Well, he was here, and Kit was almost certain something was horrifically wrong.

“So.” He patted the spot next to him on the bed, “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Ty did not sit. His entire body seemed laced with tension, his fingers still tapping furiously at the mug. 

“Livvy overheard something at the Scholomance,” he said finally.

“I was spying on people,” Livvy corrected helpfully.

“And while she was _spying_ ,” Ty continued, with a glare at his sister, “she heard the Centurions talking about… about a problem that’s been on their radar for a few years now.”

He was clearly holding something back. “What kind of problem?” Kit asked apprehensively.

The twins shared a look. Kit was growing impatient, but he resisted the urge to snap at them.

It was Livvy who spoke up eventually.

“Remember Thule?” she said.

Kit nodded. Thule was the alternate dimension Emma and Julian had visited by accident shortly after Livvy's death. From what he had heard, it was not a place he ever wanted to visit.

“ _Well_ ,” said Ty carefully, still looking at his twin, “Apparently it’s becoming a _lot_ easier to travel between Thule and our world.”

Kit shot up, spilling his tea all over his shoes.

Thule was supposed to be a mystery. Completely off-limits. Impossible to access. Not worth thinking about. Nothing but a nightmare.

“That’s not possible,” he argued. “Without the Black Volume-”

“We know,” Ty interrupted. “That’s what the Centurions were talking about.”

Kit set his tea down on his desk. His hands were shaking.

Ty was still talking. “We’ve been spying on them for a few weeks now. I managed to look through a few documents.” He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. Kit suspected he had broken a few school rules to get this information. “The Scholomance doesn’t know exactly what happened, but they think something brought the two worlds closer together, maybe opened some kind of portal.” He was fiddling with the Herondale necklace now. “They can trace it back to about two years ago.”

Kit was struggling to process all this information at once. _Two years ago._ So much had happened then. So many things could have caused this problem.

“Emma and Julian,” he started. “When they went there-”

“No,” said Livvy. “Not Emma and Julian.”

His eyes met Ty’s. He knew what the other boy was about to say before he said it. “Kit,” he whispered. “I think _I_ did this.”

Kit pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. He shook his head. This was too much. Too much information all at once. He felt Ty reach around him to put his own mug down on the desk.

“Hold up,” said Kit. “Just wait. Are you saying this has something to do with how we tried to bring Livvy back?”

Ty took a deep breath. “It checks out,” he said. “We used an object from Thule, remember? And it only worked partially. Ragnor warned us the spell would have consequences. This is what he meant.”

“Ragnor.” It took him a moment to place the warlock as the same person who had given them the spell. Tessa talked about him a lot. “Doesn’t he teach at the Scholomance? Does he know about all this?”

“I heard him talking to the Centurions,” Livvy supplied helpfully. “He said he had an idea about what was happening, and he had to investigate it on his own. He sounded worried. Then he left. We still don't know where he is.”

Kit ran his hands over his face. This was not good. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, so maybe we did something, but what _exactly_ is happening that makes it such a big deal?”

The twins shared a look. Kit was getting very tired of being left in the dark.

“We know that a few people have come over to our world,” said Livvy. “We don’t know how many. And we don’t know who else is going to try. Or... well, what might happen to our world if this keeps up.”

Ty’s hands were fluttering at his sides.

“You warned me not to do it,” he said, and his voice was trembling now. “Ragnor warned me. Magnus said I’d done a bad thing. Even Livvy thought it was a bad idea. You were right. All of you.”

“Hey.” He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around his friend, but he hesitated, knowing how Ty was with physical contact. He settled for tentatively placing his hands on Ty’s shoulders, and the other boy seemed to relax slightly. “That’s in the past. There’s no sense in beating yourself up about it.”

“But it’s _not_ in the past!” Ty was shaking now. Kit wished he could hold him. “Not if it’s hurting people _now_.”

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Kit rubbed his shoulders gently. It seemed to calm him down. When Ty spoke again, his voice was much steadier.

“I - _we_ \- came here to tell you that you were right. I shouldn’t have tried to bring back Livvy. I’m sorry. And” - he hesitated then - “I’m sorry for messing things up between us.”

“Don’t apologize,” Kit said dismissively. “And it definitely wasn’t just you. But wait, you’re saying you didn’t come here for my help?”

“You’re not a Centurion.”

“Neither are you.” It was a bad argument, but he jutted out his chin and he figured Ty knew him well enough by now to know that arguing was pointless.

“I haven’t even thought this far ahead,” he confessed.

“Well, we know where to start,” said Livvy.

Both boys turned to look at her. She straightened up. “Magnus knows about what you did,” she explained. “He’s probably talked to Ragnor, too, and I’ll bet he knows something about… whatever’s been going on. He can help us.”

“Do you think he’ll want to help us?” asked Ty. “After what happened at the wedding?”

“Probably not,” Kit admitted, even as he grabbed his phone and typed out a quick text. _Learned something about Livvy. Need to talk ASAP. Please hurry. I’m in my room in Devon._

He knew Magnus well enough by now to know that he was always willing to help out Shadowhunters in need, for all that he might complain about it.

He grabbed his gear jacket out of his closet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ty pulling on his boots.

Boots. Right. Probably a good idea.

He ran downstairs to grab his own footwear, and found Tessa and Jem waiting for him. Kit hurriedly explained that they were leaving for a bit to talk to Magnus about something related to the Scholomance but it was absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Both looked extremely suspicious, but Kit didn’t give them time to poke holes in his explanation, quickly darting back up the stairs to find Ty waiting for him in front of a portal. On the other side, Kit could just make out Magnus’s shape.

He grabbed a dagger from his desk, and followed his friend through the portal and into Magnus’s loft.

Magnus didn’t complain about them bothering him, which suggested to Kit that he had an idea of the severity of their situation. He said nothing, in fact, as he cleared a spot for them on his couch and sat down on the armchair across from them.

He looked between the three of them - Kit, Ty, and Livvy. His lips were pursed, his expression suggesting he had no desire to hear their news. Kit noticed, with a shock of surprise, that Magnus hadn’t even bothered to dress up to see them. His hair was down, his face was free of makeup, and he was wearing an actual _t-shirt_ that didn’t even sparkle. Kit had never seen the warlock so dressed down, and that’s how he knew that something was seriously wrong.

Magnus waved his hand at them. “Just get it over with.”

Kit turned to look at his friend. Ty was fidgeting with an empty lighter, his foot tapping on the ground. Kit was just about to jump in and talk for him when he spoke.

“You were right,” he admitted. “About Livvy. About the necromancy.”

“Shocking,” Magnus said, but his expression was one of pity.

Ty told Magnus the same thing he had just told Kit, his voice never wavering, Livvy jumping in occasionally. Magnus didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look surprised either. He must have known at least part of this already.

When Ty was done talking, Magnus leaned back in his armchair and surveyed them. 

“Interdimensional magic is complicated,” he said hesitantly. “Ragnor and I have been looking into this case for a while now. We suspected you two may have had something to do with it.”

“So it was them?” asked Livvy.

“Probably,” Magnus said with a shrug. “People aren’t supposed to come back from the dead. Even though your spell failed, it disrupted the natural order of the universe. Left a few doors open. My best guess is that someone else jumped in to take advantage.”

Ty leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him. “You know who it is, don’t you?”

Magnus looked between the three of them, slowly, and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. “If I tell you, I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ll ignore it and let the adults handle things?”

“Nope,” said Kit, leaning forward.

Magnus hesitated. Kit stared him down.

“Ragnor and I know of a handful of people who have travelled between our world and Thule since you did your little spell,” he admitted reluctantly. “Every single one of them had ties to the Seelie Queen.”

Ty jumped up immediately. “We’re going,” he announced. He turned to Kit. “Right?”

But Kit felt like he had been doused in ice water. _Faeries_. Kit was a descendant of the Seelie Queen, and of the old Unseelie King. A very important descendant. Nobody other than Jem and Tessa knew this. Not even Magnus. Definitely not Ty. Magnus was practically begging them not to go now, listing all the reasons it was dangerous and a bad idea, and he had no idea just how off-limits Faerie was to Kit.

He should refuse to go. Nobody would judge him. Faerie was dangerous to everyone. But he was looking at Ty, and he knew the other boy was going and there was nothing he could do about it.

Two years ago, Kit had gone along with Ty’s plans, knowing they were headed for disaster, because he hadn’t wanted Ty to go through with them alone. If he followed Ty into Faerie today, would he not be doing the same thing?

But no, this was different. Ty wasn’t trying to use dark magic to do the impossible; he was trying to fix a problem of his own creation. And Kit wasn’t hoping he would fail; he knew this was the only way to fix their problem.

Last time, Kit had bailed on Ty at the last minute, and that had ruined everything. Maybe this was his chance to get it right.

“We’re going,” he agreed.

Magnus stood up. “I am begging both of you to leave this matter to the Clave. You cannot predict how time might pass while you are in Faerie, and the Fair Folk do not give out favours without a price.”

“My brother handled the Seelie Queen just fine,” said Ty, with a lot more confidence than the situation merited. “And time will pass normally if you give us one of those medallions.”

Magnus scoffed. “I do not own any such medallions.”

“The Consul does.”

Ty was standing tall, his jaw set, and in that moment, Kit was struck by the resemblance between him and Julian.

Magnus crossed his arms. Without his makeup and designer clothing, he looked less like the glamourous warlock who frequently regaled Kit and his family with stories about his past, and more like a tired dad telling his kid to go to bed.

“Come on, Magnus,” Livvy pleaded. “You know it has to be us.”

Magnus rolled his eyes skyward and turned to shout down the hallway. “Alec!” he called out.

“What is it?” came Alec’s voice.

“Can you come here for a sec?”

Kit heard a door open and close, and then Alec walked into the room.

The Consul was wearing a ratty sweater and faded jeans, and his hair was sticking up all over the place. Concern was etched into every line of his face as he took in the scene in front of him: Kit and Ty both on their feet, staring Magnus down while the warlock looked supremely annoyed and definitely wasn’t dressed for work.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Alexander.” Magnus flashed an exaggeratedly sweet smile at him, prompting Alec to narrow his eyes in suspicion. “These teenage hooligans have come to ask you for an eternidad so that they can run off to Faerie to confront the Seelie Queen. Are you going to give it to them?”

“Um.” Alec looked between Ty, Kit and Magnus. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned to Magnus again, visibly confused. “Is this a trick question?

Magnus turned back to Ty. “See?”

“Am I missing something?” Alec interjected. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

Nobody offered an explanation. Tiberius’s focus was still on Magnus, and he was clearly not giving up so easily. “If you don’t give it to us,” he threatened, “We will go to Faerie without it. It has to be me. I have to do this.”

"You're bluffing." Magnus didn't look convinced.

"Try me."

"Tell us we're wrong," Livvy growled. "Tell us someone else will do this if we don't. I _dare_ you."

“Magnus,” Alec cut in forcefully. “What the hell is going on here?”

Magnus ignored him. He was staring Ty down, and Ty was actually meeting his eyes for once. Kit looked between them. Finally, Magnus apparently realized it was fruitless.

“You’d better come back.”

“Wait, what?” Alec stared at his husband incredulously.

“I’ll explain later,” Magnus promised. “Just trust me.”

After a moment of silent communication, Alec nodded. He shot a worried glance at the two boys before walking back down the hall. He came back a few moments later with a gold medallion that he handed to Ty.

“This feels extremely wrong.”

“I’ll explain later,” Magnus said again. Then, to the two boys, “Ready?”

He flicked his wrist, and a portal appeared. Through it, Kit could see a pond that must be the entrance to the Seelie court. He grabbed Ty’s hand, and they stepped through together.


	12. Chapter 12

An amused smile danced across the Seelie Queen’s lips as she took in her visitors. Who knows how long it had been since Nephilim had last come to her for help? Kit still didn’t understand how time worked in Faerie, but he did know that meetings between Shadowhunters and the Seelie Queen usually ended up being a lot more fun for the Queen than for the Shadowhunters involved. The members of the court that he and Ty had encountered on their way in had certainly not made any effort to stop them from holding an audience with their Queen.

As she raked her eyes hungrily over the two of them, Kit had the distinct impression that he had just walked right into a trap. Her gaze settled on Kit, and he watched her expression change from cool amusement to confusion to shock, and then back to a careful mask of indifference.

His limbs felt heavy.

This had been a very, very bad idea.

He looked over at Ty, but the other boy was oblivious to everything except the Queen. His hands were fluttering at his sides. His headphones were still around his neck.

“Well,” the Queen drawled. “This is certainly a surprise.”

She did not sound surprised.

“We need to talk to you,” said Ty, apparently having no time for fancy Faerie talk. Kit respected that.

Her smile only grew. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”

Her words sent a chill down Kit’s spine. His heart was pounding. He swallowed thickly, and looked around at the members of the court, who were all staring at the two of them, obviously very interested to hear what they had to say. How many of them knew the story of the First Heir? How many of them had known his ancestor? How many of them would recognize him if they only got a good look at his face?

They would have to make this very quick.

He cleared his throat. “Your majesty,” he began, unsure how he was supposed to address her. “We understand that the Fair Folk know a great deal about dimensional magic.”

She shrugged nonchalantly, her mouth quirking up just slightly at the corner. “I suppose we do.”

“ _Well_ ,” Kit continued, struggling to keep his voice steady under the Queen’s gaze, “It has recently come to our attention that we may have… accidentally… created some kind of portal or - or rift or something - between our world and Thule.”

Ty jumped in then, explaining how they had attempted to raise Livvy from the dead using an object from Thule, and how their spell had failed because of a faulty catalyst. Kit noticed that he left out the part where Livvy had returned as a ghost.

The Queen’s face remained impassive.

“We were wondering if you might know of a way to return things to normal,” Ty finished.

She sat back in her throne and lifted her chin haughtily. Kit held his breath.

They had discussed this part very briefly before entering the Seelie Court. They had arguments ready, a short list of ways they might be able to convince the Queen to help them. But all of a sudden their arguments seemed absolutely pitiful. The Seelie Queen wasn’t going to give them what they wanted, no matter how many important people they knew, no matter how difficult they could make her relationship with the Unseelie King and with the Clave.

She tapped her fingers on the throne. "And may I ask why you came to me with this query?"

They shared a look. Kit cleared this throat.

"We have reason to believe you might already know something about this."

She smirked. Her eyes were practically shining with excitement, her expression that of a cat who had just spotted a mouse. "Then you must know that this little mistake of yours has proved to be quite useful to me."

Looking at her, Kit fully understood why his family had gone to such lengths to hide from her. Years of dealing with Faeries at the Shadow Market had not prepared him for this. None of the stories he had heard about the Queen had done her justice. She was terrifying, and Kit had no doubt that if she wanted something from him, she would get it.

Maybe he hadn't been taking this 'First Heir' thing as seriously as he should have been.

"It has been useful to you," said Ty, slowly, as if realizing something as he spoke. "but you don't need it anymore, do you?"

The Queen seemed taken aback. Kit was shocked as well; whatever Ty was saying was clearly something he had come up with on the spot.

“If you wanted to destroy our world using Thule, you would have done it already” he explained, his voice growing more confident as he spoke. “But nobody’s come through that portal in years. I’ll bet you don’t even want the portal anymore. You’re just controlling it because you don’t want anyone else to.”

She sat back in her throne, apprehensive. Kit held his breath.

“Think about it,” Ty continued. “People have already figured out what you’re doing. They’re going to come after you. They’re going to try to take advantage of this. Who knows what kind of problems that’ll cause for you? But we created this problem. We can solve it, if you just tell us how.”

The Queen said nothing.

“We won’t tell anyone,” he finished. “Not the Clave, not the Scholomance. Whatever you’ve already done, we won’t intervene. We’ll let them know the problem has been solved. They'll stop investigating.”

Kit froze. They had not discussed this. This sounded like a terrible idea. Who knew what mischief the Faeries - and the Queen especially - would get up to without the Clave breathing down their necks?

But the Seelie Queen seemed to be considering it and, well, if it got them what they wanted, then maybe it would be worth it.

She looked him up and down appreciatively. “Blackthorn, is it?”

Ty nodded. The Queen seemed amused, and she wasn’t staring at Kit anymore, so Kit figured this was going well enough.

“Fine,” she announced. “If you agree to the terms you laid out, I’ll give you a spell that can undo what you've done."

Ty exhaled in relief, as one of the servants went to fetch a pen and paper. But Kit wasn’t ready to let his guard down just yet. This had been too easy. Deals with Faeries were never easy.

“There’s something you’re not telling us,” he blurted out.

Slowly, the Queen turned her blue eyes on him, and Kit had the distinct impression that she was looking right through him and learning all his secrets. He forced himself to meet her eyes.

“Why would you think that?” she asked innocently.

“There’s always a price with Faeries,” said Kit. “What’s yours?”

“It is very kind of you to offer,” she drawled, “but you may consider this a gift. As your friend has already pointed out, the portal you created has served its purpose. It will please me to see it gone.”

“You’re lying,” Kit growled, knowing perfectly well that the Fair Folk couldn’t lie. “What does that spell really do? It’s dark magic. There’s no way it’s that easy.”

“Oh, you _are_ smart,” she teased, leaning forward in her throne. “But I am not the one lying here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” demanded Ty. She turned to him.

“You did not tell me the full truth about your situation, did you, Son of Thorns? You said the spell to bring your sister back from the dead failed. But it didn’t, did it?”

Ty shook his head, his fingers fiddling with his pendant. “She’s just a ghost. It doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“It has _everything_ to do with this,” she declared, and Kit thought the smile that consumed her face was pure evil.

 _Here it is,_ he thought, his heart sinking into his feet. _The price_.

She sat back, her chin jutting up. She was clearly enjoying this.

“The rift between your world and Thule did not open when your spell failed,” she explained. “It opened when your spell _succeeded_. As long as your sister haunts this world, the rift will stay open. Close it, and you will lose her forever. That is the price.”

Kit whipped around to look at Ty. _No. No, don’t do this to him again._ Ty’s chest was rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to get air into his lungs. His cheeks were bright pink, his hands a blur at his sides.

“No,” he choked out. “No, that’s not- there has to be another way. You’re lying! She’s lying!” He turned to Kit. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated. Kit wanted to put his arms around him, to tell him everything was okay and the Queen was lying about this part of the spell. But Faeries couldn’t lie, and he knew, deep down, that this was the only way. This was how magic worked. You paid the price, or you didn’t get what you wanted. If they wanted to fix the problem they had caused, they had to give up what they had gained. They had to give up Livvy.

His eyes burned. “Ty…”

He rounded on the Queen. “Tell us the other way! There has to be another way!”

But the Queen just smirked, and from behind her came a faerie servant carrying a slip of paper. Kit rounded on his friend, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. Ty was breathing hard, his shoulders tense under Kit’s hand. He seemed incapable of speech. This was his decision. But it was an impossible one.

“You don’t have to do this,” Kit whispered into his ear. Ty’s headphones were still resting around his neck, untouched since he had first shown up at Kit’s door. He rarely took them off for this long. “We can turn around. Leave this to the Clave.”

“No,” Ty choked out. “It has to be me.”

And then he looked right up at the Seelie Queen and asked her for the spell that would take his sister from him forever.

“You don’t have to do this,” Kit said again, as the servant girl made her way toward them. He spun Ty toward him. “Ty. We can find another way.”

“There’s no other way.” Ty met his eyes then, his gaze hard as steel. “I caused this problem. I have to fix it.”

“You can’t just give up Livvy.”

“You heard her. Trying to bring her back is what caused this whole mess.”

Kit’s eyes burned with unshed tears. Ty couldn’t be seriously considering this. Not after everything that had happened. Everything he’d been though. Everything he’d done to keep Livvy with him. It couldn’t end like this.

But Ty was already turning to face the faerie servant, reaching out to take the paper out of her hands.

“You humans feel things so deeply,” said the Queen, obviously amused. “You have provided me much entertainment today. I do look forward to our next meeting.” 

She turned to Kit.

“And as for _you_ …” she smiled. “It was lovely to meet you. I am sure our paths will cross again very soon.”

A chill ran down Kit’s spine. “They’d better not,” he growled, but she just laughed.

She was still staring at him. In fact, the entire Seelie court was staring at him, many of them whispering to each other behind their hands. Kit had a sinking feeling he might know what they were talking about, and decided that he and Ty needed to get out of here, urgently. 

He placed his hand on Ty’s elbow and led the other boy back the way they had come, through dark forest and toward the doorway that would lead them back to their world.

It took Kit a moment to realize that they weren’t in Faerie anymore. 

The sun had set. There were no mundanes in the park. He whipped around, searching the trees, the bushes, lake, for potential threats. He half expected bloodthirsty faeries to show up and kidnap him. The Queen’s words had shaken him to his very core. He couldn’t seem to get enough air into his lungs.

He was blinded, suddenly, by a flash of witchlight; Ty had taken the small stone out of his pocket and was examining the piece of paper the Queen had given them.

Right. The spell.

Kit took a deep breath. He wasn’t in any imminent danger. If the Queen had wanted to do something to him, she would have done it already. He needed to keep it together. _Ty_ needed him to keep it together.

Thankfully, the doorway seemed to have taken them to exactly the same place they had left from, which would put them somewhere in Central Park. A quick look at google maps - thank _goodness_ Faerie hadn’t done anything weird to his phone - confirmed his suspicions. He wasn’t sure how they were going to get back home, but he shot off a quick text to Magnus, and then another one to Tessa, just to confirm they were okay. His hands were trembling as he typed.

“Do you think we can find all this at the Shadow Market?” Ty asked, moving closer so Kit could see the list of spell ingredients.

It was a surprisingly short list, and all the ingredients were things Kit was pretty sure they’d be able to find in Downworld. They wouldn’t be cheap, though.

“You’re sure about this?”

He looked right into Ty’s eyes, then. Eyes that were shining with tears. Kit realized that the paper was shaking between Ty’s hands. He took it, gently, and put it in his pocket.

Ty watched the spell disappear into Kit’s jacket.

“Don’t try to talk me out of this.”

“Ty-”

“Don’t.” His bottom lip was trembling. “If you start - If you try to-” he broke off with a sob, and clapped his hand over his mouth.

“I won’t. I promise. But, Ty-” He placed his hand, gently, on the other boy’s arm. “There’s no shame in walking away.”

Ty drew in a shaky breath. “I have to,” he said again. Kit just nodded.

“And I don’t suppose _I_ have a say in all this?”

Livvy had appeared next to them, looking every bit the fierce warrior she had been in life. Ty choked out a sob and moved closer to Kit. Kit met Livvy’s eyes.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough.”

“So you know what might happen if we do this spell?”

“I do. And I think you should do it.”

Ty looked like he wanted to hug his sister, even though that was impossible. Instinctively, Kit put his arm around him. Ty leaned back into him.

“You never asked me if I wanted to come back,” Livvy continued. “I stuck around because you wanted me here, but I didn’t want to come back. I wanted to move on.”

“But you said-” Ty broke off with a shake of his head. Livvy’s expression absolutely melted. Kit suddenly felt very much like he was intruding.

“I know. And I’m glad I had these last two years with you, but Ty, you have to let me go.”

Kit thought of the conversation he and Livvy had had back in Los Angeles. How upset she had seemed about being a ghost. This was exactly what she wanted, he knew. Livvy wanted to move on. But not like this.

Ty had seemed so determined just a few minutes ago, but his resolve seemed to be dissolving with every word from his twin. Kit thought this must be a special kind of torture. The first time Livvy had died, it had been quick and brutal, with no time for anyone to realize it was happening before she was already gone. This time, they knew exactly what was happening. Ty had to make the decision himself. It was impossibly cruel.

Livvy turned to Kit, then, and she didn’t need to say anything for him to understand what she wanted. He read the plea in her expression. _Take care of him_ , it said. _Don’t leave him alone_.

He nodded, hoping she understood. He couldn’t promise that he would stay in Ty’s life - that was up to Ty - but he could promise he would do the best he could to help his friend. He would do it right this time. He had to.

“Okay.” Ty’s fist was clenched around the witchlight stone, its light all but extinguished by his fingers. He seemed to be having trouble getting air into his lungs. Kit hugged him tighter. “Okay. We’ll do it.”

He reached up to put his headphones over his ears - the first time he had put them on since he had shown up at Kit’s door. Kit pulled out his phone, and tried to figure out how to get to the Shadow Market from their location.


	13. Chapter 13

Having both grown up in Los Angeles, neither of the boys were particularly comfortable with public transit, but with Kit’s phone battery getting low and data roaming charges to consider, they decided it was a better option than uber (taxis, of course, being out of the question due to the fact that they had no money). Glamoured so they were invisible to mundanes - and therefore exempt from transit fees - they made their way to the nearest station.

As they walked down the stairs into the underground, Kit tried to figure out their strategy for the Shadow Market.

They had no money. That was their most pressing concern. They had absolutely nothing to trade for the absurdly expensive objects they were trying to procure, and Kit truly had no idea how they were supposed to get around that obstacle.

They also had very few weapons on them, which also complicated things. The last time the two of them had gone to a Shadow Market together, they had almost died. Kit was fairly confident that wouldn’t happen this time, but he still wasn’t totally sure how people would react to him at the Market.

He watched a pickpocket follow a mundane woman, and remembered Mark’s tweets about losing his wallet on the subway. Mark had, in fact, been having very bad luck with pickpockets lately. According to his Twitter account, he had now lost three empty wallets in a row, and had an unfortunate habit of simply giving his phone away to anyone who asked for it and getting offended when he never got it back. An idea began to form in Kit's mind.

Kit had been raised as a thief. And he was good at it, even without Shadowhunter abilities. He could pick every pocket in this station without anyone even noticing. He wasn’t going to do that, of course - even if he thought he could get enough money off these mundanes, he did actually draw the line at stealing from that many innocent people. But he could see a few of them lined up in front of an ATM.

His hand closed around his stele. With an _open_ rune, and maybe a bit of help from the lock pick he always kept in his pocket… who knows how much money he’d be able to get out of that machine? Certainly enough to purchase everything they needed from the Shadow Market.

 _Damn_. Why had it never occurred to him that being trained as a Shadowhunter could help advance his career as a bank robber?

He pulled Ty to a stop, and nodded discreetly toward the ATM. Ty caught his meaning immediately.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Just watch my back.”

“We have a job to do! This is not the time for bank robbery!”

“We need money for the Shadow Market!”

Ty relented, and they made their way over to the machine. The trick would be keeping the mundanes away from it. They wouldn’t be able to see the two Shadowhunter boys, but they’d probably notice if the machine split open and cash fell out. Usually, warlock magic was best for this kind of stuff, but they didn’t have a warlock, so they would have to make do with runes.

Ty got to work glamouring the ATM to look out of order, while Kit drew the strongest _open_ rune of his life. The machine popped right off the wall, and Kit reached in to grab wads and wads and _wads_ of cash. He had never seen this much money in his life. It didn’t even fit in his pockets - he had to use Ty’s. They’d actually have to watch their backs at the Shadow Market, carrying around this much money.

“This feels wrong.”

“It’s for the greater good.” He zipped up all his pockets, confirmed that neither of them were in danger of losing any cash, and then, because Ty looked so guilty about the whole thing, briefly un-glamoured himself so he could go buy them actual subway tickets.

“Besides,” he added, “you don’t need to feel bad about stealing from a bank. Eat the rich, and all that.”

Ty looked baffled. “What does this have to do with cannibalism?”

Kit smiled, despite the circumstances. “It’s just a thing people say,” he explained. Ty still seemed confused.

“What I _mean_ ,” he elaborated, handing Ty his ticket and steering him toward the platform, “is that the people we’re stealing from don’t need this money, so you don’t need to feel bad about it.”

“Oh.” Ty didn’t sound like he understood completely. "Well, I still don’t think we should rob ATMs."

"Agree to disagree."

Kit had maps open on his phone, trying to make sure they didn’t accidentally take the wrong train. He was pretty sure this was the right way. As long as he remembered the location of the Shadow Market properly. He had only been there once, and funnily enough, google maps didn’t have it labelled.

They got onto the train, still glamoured, careful to avoid the mundanes. If he had this right, they should only need to take one train, thank goodness.

He looked over at Ty. The other boy was doing an impressive job of holding it together, but Kit could tell this was hard for him. He was pale, his eyes red-rimmed, his headphones clamped over his ears. His hands were in constant motion. Kit felt awful for him. The New York subway was overwhelming enough without everything Ty was carrying around already.

He reached out to take his friend’s hand. Ty squeezed back gratefully, and offered a small smile. Kit’s stomach flipped over. 

Finally, they arrived at their stop. The minute they stepped out into the open air, Kit breathed a sigh of relief. He had remembered correctly. The Shadow Market was only a block away.

Still holding Ty’s hand, he led him over to the market.

“Stay with me, okay?”

Ty nodded.

Kit had spent very little time in Shadow Markets since his father’s death. It was strange to be back, and as a different person this time. Heads turned as they passed, downworlders instantly taking note of their runes, their posture, and - Kit blushed at this realization - their clasped hands. After so much time being invisible, it was jarring to suddenly feel all eyes on him.

He took in the stalls, searching for something that might be of use. He felt himself relax as he started to recognize the pattern. This wasn’t unfamiliar territory. He knew what he was doing.

It was Livvy who found the first ingredient, floating behind the stalls so she could see what people were carrying. Nobody else was able to see her, so she was able to search without anyone noticing.

They walked up to the booth, Kit trying his best to look confident. This was his home turf. He could do this.

The lady behind the counter was clearly one of the fair folk. She was short and wrinkled, her hair dark purple. When Kit asked for the ingredient, she whistled.

“That’ll cost you.”

“I can pay.”

“I’m sure you can, Shadowhunter.”

Kit winced. He had heard, from Alec and Magnus, that Shadow Markets were a lot more friendly toward Nephilim these days. Still, the venom in her voice told him it would take a lot more than a change of leadership to bridge the divide between Shadowhunters and Downworlders.

The faerie woman pulled out the item they needed, and Kit produced what he thought was a perfectly acceptable amount of money from his pocket. She waited. He pulled out more cash. She looked at it, then back at his face, expectantly.

“That’s all I’ve got.”

“No, it’s not.”

He sighed, and leaned in. “Come on, you and I both know this is more than enough. I’ve got other stuff to buy. Take it or leave it.”

This was the tricky part. He knew - as did the twins - that he wasn’t going to walk away. He needed this, desperately. But he also needed lots of other things, and they would cost him just as much, if not more. He needed to make this woman believe she couldn’t get any more money out of him.

He had seen Shadowhunters get ripped off at these markets before. Downworlders counted on them being clueless about the appropriate prices for items at the Shadow Market. They knew the Nephilim would pay up. Kit hoped his stance, and his refusal to back down, conveyed just how well he knew how things worked around here.

Wordlessly, the woman took his cash and passed the item across the table, along with what looked like a reusable shopping bag from a mundane grocery store. Kit grabbed the item, tossed it in the bag, thanked her, and continued on his way.

“You’re good at this,” Ty whispered. He had taken off his headphones at some point during the conversation.

“I know.”

They did the same thing at a few more booths, Kit taking the lead and Ty hanging back. Most people sneered at them, and one chewed out Kit for something his father had done to them many years ago. Kit was just surprised it had taken so long for that to come up.

The money got them far, though. Soon, they had all their ingredients, and were only missing a catalyst.

This, of course, was where they had gone wrong last time. Kit was careful to pick out a warlock he vaguely recognized. He remembered his dad saying she was trustworthy.

“Absolutely not,” she said, looking at the pile of cash Kit had placed on the table. It was the last of their money. 

“It’s plenty.”

But looking at the money, he knew it wasn’t enough. Catalysts were expensive, and they simply couldn’t pay for this one. An entire ATM, gone, just like that.

“What else you got?”

“Nothing, I swear.”

The woman just laughed, and looked him up and down. He realized she was searching for something on his person that he could throw in to sweeten the deal. Unfortunately, all he had was a seraph blade.

Well, that and the eternidad tucked beneath his jacket, but that wasn't his to trade. 

Then she turned to Ty, and her eyes lit up. She pointed to his throat.

“That,” she said, “is an extremely valuable piece of magic.”

Ty’s hand flew up to grasp the pendant around his throat. Kit realized the woman was referring to the Herondale necklace.

“You can’t have it.” Ty’s tone left no room for negotiation.

As much as Kit hated to give up the necklace - and he _really_ hated to - he had to admit that it wasn’t a bad deal. It was enchanted to protect Ty from the effects of necromancy, but Ty would not need protecting once they completed this spell. It was a fair bargain.

He started to tell him this, but Ty shut him down. It was off the table, he said. Find some other way to pay for the catalyst.

“We could pay you later,” Kit started to say, but the warlock was still focused on the Blackthorn boy’s jewelry. 

“The other one, then. That one stinks of necromancy.”

But Tiberius was not going to give up Livvy’s locket, either. They were at an impasse. Kit was getting impatient.

“Come on, it’s a fair price. We’ll give you this now, and if the catalyst works - which it better - we’ll come back and give you more.”

This was a good idea, he realized as he talked. Not only was he finding a way to get his catalyst without giving up precious jewelry, he was also making sure the thing actually worked.

The warlock laughed. “Why would I trust you, Nephilim?”

“We’re on official business from the Clave,” he lied. “Alec Lightwood himself assigned us this mission.”

Alec’s name was worth a lot in this market. She drew back, apprehensive.

“Alec wouldn’t send you here to rip me off.”

“He didn’t. He sent me here to get a catalyst, and I’m out of money, but I’ll come back. I promise.”

“I don’t believe you.” But suspicion clouded her expression. This was working.

Kit pulled out his phone. The battery was getting dangerously low, but thankfully it still worked. He pulled up Alec’s contact and showed her the screen.

“I can call him right now if you want.” He _really_ hoped she didn’t ask him to call Alec.

But that seemed to seal the deal. She passed him the catalyst and took his money.

“You’d better be back here as soon as that spell is done.”

He thanked her, promised to pay the full price later, and led Ty right out of the market, Livvy hovering behind them and singing Kit’s praises as if he hadn’t just spent a small fortune trying to send her to the afterlife.

Ty slid his headphones back over his ears, but he still didn’t let go of Kit’s hand. Kit was too worried about him to read anything into it. He was just glad he could provide some kind of comfort to his friend.

Kit figured Central Park would be a decent place for their spell, so he led them back underground and onto the same train they had taken to the Market. They were silent the whole way there, Ty getting visibly more anxious the closer they got. Kit squeezed his hand, and wished there was more he could do.

And then they were standing on the edge of a pond, and it was time, and Ty was shaking. Kit dropped the bag of ingredients so he could grab both of Ty’s hands.

“You can do this.”

Ty looked right into his eyes. He was terrified, Kit realized. He was about to do something horrifying, something he would never be able to take back. Kit didn’t know what to say.

“You’ll be there?”

Kit didn’t know if he meant during the spell, or afterward, but either way the answer was the same.

“I’ll be there.”

Ty dropped his hands. He picked up the ingredients, and held out his hand for the spell. Kit gave it to him. Then he walked over to where Livvy was hovering.

Kit didn’t hear what they said next. He supposed it wasn’t for his ears, anyway. But he saw tears in both their eyes, saw Livvy reach out as if to caress Ty’s cheek, and heard the broken sob as Ty fell to his knees.

He moved to help his friend, but Ty was already back on his feet, his face set in determination. He drew in the dirt, reading from the paper. Kit ran over to him, but there was nothing he could do except watch.

Livvy smiled, a sad smile full of love and hope, and Kit thought he wasn’t allowed to be heartbroken about her, not when he barely knew her and Ty was standing right there.

Ty, whose face was already streaked with tears and who was about to do the most difficult thing he had ever done. Kit grabbed the bag of ingredients, and opened it. He looked up at Ty.

“You sure about this?”

“I’m sure.”

When Ty began to read from the paper, Livvy seemed to fade, becoming less solid as the spell took Ty tripped over the words. Kit put his arms around him.

And then he was saying the last words and the paper was bursting into flames between his fingers, and there was nothing they could do anymore except watch as Livvy faded from view. Ty screamed, and Kit held him tighter, held him until the flames had died out and Livvy was long gone and Ty was sobbing in his arms.

As Ty broke into pieces in his arms, Kit held on and promised not to let go.


	14. Chapter 14

“Ty. Ty, we need to go.”

Kit didn’t know how long they had been standing there, but Ty’s arms were still locked around his neck, his face still buried in Kit’s shoulder. Kit moved his hand up and down the other boy’s back in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. Slowly, Ty’s arms started to relax and he lifted his head.

“How are we getting home?”

Kit bit back tears. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. His phone was dead. He didn’t have anything to write a fire message with. He had spent all his money at the Shadow Market. All he had was his mental map of New York, and it was extremely limited.

And Ty was falling apart in his arms.

They needed to get to Devon as soon as possible.

A memory prickled at the back of his mind. A trip to New York. Simon had taken him on the Subway. They had gone to some comic book shop. On the way back, they had taken train number… number…

It had been green, he remembered suddenly. The route on the map. It had been a green route. He was certain of that. And he had seen those green routes on the maps today. He could probably find the Institute, he realized, if he just looked at one of those Subway maps. The Institute wasn’t home, but it had beds and friendly faces and access to portals, and that was the best he could do for now.

Ty was still clinging on to him. The idea of letting go was completely unthinkable, but it had to happen. 

Softly, hands moving over Ty’s back all the while, he explained his plan. Ty nodded, and pulled back. Gently, Kit placed Ty's headphones back over his ears. Ty barely seemed to notice. Kit’s heart broke for his friend. He gripped his hand, and led him away.

It ended up being more complicated than he had initially realized. They had to take two different trains, and by the time they stumbled up the steps to the Institute, Kit wasn’t sure if that had really been any faster than walking.

They had arrived, though, and that was all that mattered. He placed his hand on the door and it swung open. He practically dragged Ty over the threshold, into warmth and safety, and over to the elevator.

Clary met them on the second floor, dressed in green pyjamas. Her eyes went wide in shock as she watched them step out of the elevator.

“Kit? Ty? What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story.”

She looked them up and down, taking in the dirty clothes, the tired expressions, the headphones, the linked hands, and apparently decided that questions could wait.

“What do you need?”

“Just a bed to sleep in. Maybe some pyjamas. And a portal in the morning. Also-” he added as an afterthought “-could you text Tessa? Let her know we’re spending the night here?”

She nodded and disappeared down the hall, and it wasn’t until she had left that Kit realized he had only asked for one bed.

They didn’t have to talk about it. There was no way either of them would want to sleep alone tonight. But what kind of assumptions would Clary make? Or - god forbid he ever find out - Jace? Kit didn’t really want to explain the situation.

That was a problem for later, though. Right now, he needed to get the two of them into a bed. He led the other boy down the hall to the room he always used in this Institute, and let them in.

The room was sparse, and looked exactly as it had the last time he had been there. The moment the door was closed behind them, Ty’s arms were around him again, Ty’s face pressed into his neck.

“Thank you,” Ty choked out. Kit held him tighter.

“You can come back to Devon with me,” he promised. “And you can stay as long as you want to.” Ty nodded, then pulled back, his hands still knotted at the back of Kit’s shirt. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t.

“Clary’s getting us stuff to wear,” said Kit, his hand running up and down the other boy’s back. “Do you want to shower before bed?”

Ty hesitated, thinking, and then he nodded. Kit slowly detached himself from Ty and walked over to the shower to confirm that it had a towel and soap. Once the door closed and the water started running, Kit lay down on the bed.

It was the first moment he’d had alone since everything had happened, and it felt weird.

He had never interacted much with Livvy’s ghost, so losing her didn’t mean nearly as much to him - or to anyone else, for that matter - as it did to Ty.

Ty, whose world had fallen apart when he had been only ten years old, and who had managed to piece things together only for them to fall apart again. Kit still thought it was a miracle that Ty had been able to keep going after Livvy’s death, and now she was gone for good.

It wasn’t fair, he thought. Nobody should have to lose so much at such a young age, and definitely not someone so kind and so full of life as Ty. He wished there was something, anything he could do to help.

They were all too young for this, really. None of them deserved any of things that had happened to them.

A knock sounded at the bedroom door. Kit jumped up to open it.

“Hey.”

Clary had a bundle of clothing in her arms. She looked like she wanted to say something, as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Kit figured he would have a lot of questions to answer once things calmed down.

“I texted Tessa,” she said. “She’s glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks.”

She held out the clothes, and he took them wordlessly.

"Have you guys had anything to eat?" she asked gently. Kit shrugged. To be honest, food was the last thing on his mind right now.

Her expression softened. "We don't have much, but I'll get you two some toast, okay?"

Kit nodded, and closed the door, taking the clothes into the room.

With a nervous glance at the bathroom door - the water was still running, so he was probably safe - he picked out a pair of pyjamas and changed into them, placing his discarded clothes on a chair for the next morning. The pyjamas were too big on him, but they would do.

He took the other pair to the bathroom door. The water had stopped. He knocked gently.

“I’ve got clothes for you.”

There was a pause.

“Just a minute.”

The door opened and Ty appeared, dressed in only a towel. Kit looked away immediately - this wasn’t the time, he wasn’t going to think about this - but the brief look at Ty’s torso was enough to set his face on fire.

Ty took the clothes and retreated back into the washroom. Kit sat down on the bed. When the other boy came back into the room, dressed in the pyjamas Kit had given him, Kit offered the smallest of smiles.

"Clary said she'd get us something to eat," he explained, watching Ty put his clothes away. "Anything else you need?"

Ty shook his head. "Not really hungry anyway."

His hands were trembling. Kit wished he knew what to do.

Ty was still facing away from him when he said, softly, "are you staying here tonight?"

"Of course." Kit was offended that Ty would think otherwise, but he figured he deserved it. "I haven't seen you in months, you're not getting away from me that easily."

Ty choked out a laugh, and reached up to wipe a tear off his face. There was another knock on the door.

"I'll get it," said Kit, standing up and striding past Ty. Clary stood on the other side, holding a plate of toast, true to her word.

"Sorry this is all I have," she said. "I can order takeout if you boys are really hungry."

"It's fine," Kit reassured her. "Thank you."

He moved to close the door, but she was still standing there, looking very much like she wanted to say more.

“We’ll be okay,” he promised, even though he wasn’t sure it was true. “It’s- it’s complicated, but it’s all sorted out now. You don’t need to worry.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m still going to worry,” she said. “Talk more in the morning?”

He nodded. There was more he needed to say to her - he still had the eternidad, and there was of course the warlock woman who needed her money. But he figured that could wait until the morning. He thanked her again, and took the food into the room.

They ate cross-legged on the floor, neither of them having much of an appetite. They didn't talk, but Kit watched the other boy, looking for signs of how he might be feeling and how Kit might be able to help.

He reached up push back a lock of Ty's hair, and felt the other boy tense. He dropped his hand.

"Tell me if there's anything I can do, okay?" he whispered. "No matter what it is."

Ty was still looking down at the now-empty plate. His expression was so full of conflicting emotions that Kit couldn't possibly hope to read it. He swallowed, and nodded. Kit stood up and took the plate over to the desk.

Ty was already pulling back the covers and getting into bed.

"Should I turn out the light?"

"Yes, please."

Kit flicked off the light switch and joined Ty in a bed that was much smaller than the one they had shared in Los Angeles.

They were face-to-face now, Ty’s hand coming up to clasp Kit’s between them. “Thank you,” he said again.

“You don’t need to thank me.”

Tears started to well up in Ty’s eyes. His head ducked down to rest against Kit’s shoulder. His thumb was rubbing absently against Kit’s hand.

“You didn’t need to come with me.”

“Of course I did,” Kit argued, squeezing the other boy’s hand. “We’re in this together, remember?”

Ty sniffed, and shifted closer to Kit. Only their hands were touching, but Kit could feel the tension in the other boy’s body. Ty’s breathing was ragged. Kit waited.

“It wasn’t the same as having her back,” he said, unprompted. “But it was something.”

Kit squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, because he didn’t know what else to say.

“It's what she wanted.”

“I’m still sorry.”

Ty’s hand went up to rest on Kit’s waist, sending shivers all the way up his spine.

“Kit?”

“Yeah?”

He bit his lip, hesitating. Kit held his breath.

“Could you hold me?”

Wordlessly, Kit wrapped his arms around Ty, and he held him the way he had at the lake, the way he had on the roof of the London Institute all those years ago. He held him, glad he could provide this little bit of comfort to his friend.

* * *

Kit woke with Ty still in his arms.

They had shared beds many times before, but in the past they had always kept to their sides of the bed, never touching except by accident. To wake up clinging to each other like this was new.

He kind of had to use the washroom, and his stomach was growling, but he didn’t want to wake up Ty, so he waited.

When Ty blinked his eyes open, it seemed to take him a moment to figure out where he was. Then, much to Kit’s surprise, he smiled and hugged Kit closer.

“Morning,” he croaked, voice muffled by Kit’s shirt.

“Morning.” Ty’s skin was warm. Kit tightened his arms around him. “How’re you feeling?”

Ty thought about it for a moment.

“Better,” he said finally. “I think.”

“Good.”

And then he couldn’t wait any longer. He rolled out of bed and stumbled into the washroom.

They had slept in, even despite the time difference. It was already past noon in Devon. They both made good time pulling on the same clothes they had been wearing last night and walking over to the kitchen, where Clary and Jace set them up with cereal and coffee.

Jace leaned back against the counter, surveilling the two of them. Kit knew he was trying to piece things together.

“So,” he finally said. “Are either of you going to explain what you’re doing here?”

They shared a look.

“Scholomance stuff,” Ty explained. “Kit was helping me. It’s top secret.”

Jace did not look convinced. Neither did Clary, but she at least didn’t push it, moving over to sit across from them at the table.

“Well, it’s nice to see you both.”

They wolfed down their breakfast, and Kit downed his coffee in record time - the Carstairs were tea people, so he had missed this.

Then Kit remembered what he had meant to ask them. He reached into his pocket, closed his hand around the medallion, and hesitated.

Should he tell them?

He could always just ask Clary to send him to Magnus’s loft. She would do it. And neither she nor Jace would have to know any more details about what they had done. But Clary and Jace were trustworthy. He knew that. And Magnus deserved a break.

“So, there’s actually another thing I was going to ask you about,” he said, and pulled the medallion out of his pocket.

Jace drew in a breath and crossed the room. Clary’s eyes were wide. Both of them stared at the object in Kit’s hand.

“We just went to talk to Kieran,” he lied. “No big deal. But could you give this back to Alec?”

Clary narrowed her eyes at him. Missions to Faerie were more common these days than they had been during the Cold Peace, but they were still rare. It was also very unlike Alec to send two seventeen-year-old boys into the Unseelie Court.

“I’m going to trust you this time,” she said, taking the medallion from him, “but if you pull shit like this again…”

“I know. There’s just one more thing.”

He told her about the warlock woman at the Shadow Market, and what he owed her. He asked if the two of them might be able to find her and give her what she was owed.

Jace whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”

“It’s important.”

“I guess the Institute can afford it,” she said slowly. “But this is a big favour you guys are asking for.”

“Good thing we’re family.”

Reluctantly, Clary and Jace both agreed, and then Clary was pulling out her stele and leading them outside so she could portal them back to Devon. Thankfully, she didn’t ask why they were going there and not to the Scholomance.

It was still raining when they arrived in Devon, though it had slowed down considerably. Kit walked them up the steps, but Ty stopped him before they reached the door.

“Kit,” he asked hesitantly. “You’re sure I can stay?”

His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, his hair sticking up wildly. Kit squeezed his hand.

“As long as you need to,” he promised, and led him through the door.

Jem and Tessa jumped up from where they had been sitting in the living room. How long had they been there? Kit felt a pang of guilt.

He explained hurriedly that everything was fine, they were fine, and Ty was going to stay with them for a bit, knowing without needing to ask that both Jem and Tessa would be fine with it. Then, waving off their offers of help, he led Ty up the stairs to his room.

* * *

They ended up reading Sherlock.

They were both confused about time after their quick, overnight trip to New York, and once they had both gotten changed (Ty borrowing more of Kit’s clothes, which Kit was only too happy to offer), they stood in Kit’s room and realized they didn’t feel like doing anything.

So Kit pulled out his book, arranged the pillows on his bed for maximum comfort, and curled up against Ty, not even hesitating before leaning his head on his shoulder.

At some point, Simon the rabbit hopped up onto the bed demanding cuddles, and the book was completely forgotten as Ty pulled him into his lap and exclaimed over how big he had gotten. The pictures, he said, hadn’t done him justice. It was the first real smile Kit had seen on him since everything had happened.

Despite the obvious strangeness of their situation, Jem and Tessa were perfect hosts, checking in occasionally to make sure they were alright and to ask if they needed anything. Both boys were content to stay as they were until they were called down to dinner.

Everyone was happy to have a guest in the house, making polite conversation with Ty and not asking too many questions about what was happening. Kit got the sense, however, that he would have a lot of explaining to do once Ty left. He was still trying to figure out what to say.

Mina, for her part, was delighted to have someone to entertain, and made it her mission to make Ty laugh by playing with her food. Ty, having grown up with younger siblings, dutifully kept a straight face so as not to encourage her, but Kit caught him smiling when she threw a noodle at Kit and it stuck to his forehead.

“Wilhelmina Carstairs,” said Jem, setting down his cutlery. “Would you like to eat here with us, or would you like to finish your dinner alone in the kitchen?”

She screamed and upended her bowl, and Jem got up to carry her out of the room. Tessa sighed, exasperated, and started cleaning up the mess, apologizing to Ty all the while. He waved her off.

“Tavvy used to do the same thing.”

He thanked Tessa for the food and the hospitality, and she smiled and assured him that it was a pleasure to have him here and that he was always welcome in their house. Kit squeezed his hand under the table.

“Where to?” 

They were done eating now, and he didn’t want Ty to feel obligated to stick around.

“Bed?” he asked softly. Across the table, Tessa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He thought of the confession he had made to her a few months ago, and blushed.

They had a spare room. Kit knew that. Tessa knew that. Yes, Kit would definitely have a lot of explaining to do later.

They helped Tessa clear the table, then headed up to Kit’s room, and Kit didn’t even care if she saw them holding hands.

Kit loaned Ty a pair of pyjamas, which much like the clothes were just a little bit too small for him, and even offered up the use of his toothbrush, because at this point why the hell not? They turned off the lights ridiculously early, and then they were facing each other under the covers again, Ty running his hands over Kit’s side.

“Your parents are nice.”

Kit smiled. “I know.”

“Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“I didn’t want you to be alone.”

Ty bit his lip and scooted closer. Kit’s arm went up around him.

“Thank you.”

Kit didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. He just held on to Ty, their bodies fitting together in a way that was becoming familiar to Kit and yet still felt new enough to be just a little bit overwhelming. Ty was warm and _alive_ and every time he shifted, Kit could feel it, could feel Ty's arm tighten around him and Ty's leg wrap around his. He buried his face in Ty's mess of black hair and matched his breathing to Ty's and for the second night in a row, they fell asleep wrapped up in each other.


	15. Chapter 15

When Kit woke, Ty was already up and fully dressed in a new pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt he must have pulled out of the dresser. Kit’s stomach flipped over at the thought of Ty wearing more of his clothes. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

“Morning.”

Ty turned from where he had been looking at something on Kit’s desk, and his expression softened, his mouth quirking up at the corner. He looked much better than he had the night before. The redness around his eyes was gone, and his hair was still unruly but he had clearly run a comb through it at least. He looked happier. Kit was glad. He had been worried.

“Sleep okay?” he asked, and Ty nodded, walking over to the bed and sitting down, his upper body angled toward Kit. If Kit wanted to, he could reach out and touch him. It was intoxicating.

It was only then that Kit noticed which shirt Ty had picked out. 

It was black, yes, but on the top left corner, just over his heart, there was a tiny rainbow.

It was the only explicitly queer item of clothing Kit owned - he had bought it about a month ago, hoping to subtly send a message to the people around him without feeling like he was making a big deal about it. It hadn’t worked, but he had felt brave wearing it. The shirt was just a little bit too big on him, but it fit Ty perfectly.

The sight of Ty in that shirt was doing funny things to his heart. He bit his lip and reached out to tug on the hem.

“Nice shirt.”

Ty smiled. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nope. It suits you.”

It felt like a confession, but Kit wasn’t quite ready to unpack it this early in the morning, so after a moment he hauled himself out of bed and made his way to the washroom to shower.

* * *

It was a Saturday, so they agreed that Ty would leave the next day, as he was in no rush to get back to the Scholomance and neither of them really wanted to split up sooner than necessary. So after a lazy morning playing with their rabbit, they pulled on jackets and headed out with Mina to go introduce Ty to the sheep.

At first, Mina insisted on walking in between them, with each one holding one of her hands, but she was barely three years old and insisted on being swung in between them rather than actually walking. It was fun at first, but eventually Kit’s arm got tired and he put her on his shoulders instead.

Ty immediately moved to take the hand Mina had been holding, and Kit buried his surprise. Whatever this was - whatever had changed between them in the last few days - was something that had happened because Ty was hurting. Kit was going to do whatever he could to ease that hurt, and he was absolutely not going to ask for more.

He certainly wasn’t complaining, though.

Ty liked the sheep just as much as Kit had known he would, and even managed to befriend the donkey, much to Kit’s annoyance. That donkey hated everyone, and Kit most of all, but one look at Ty, and she had come trotting over to say hello.

“Kit! Look!” He was leaning over the fence, scratching under the donkey’s chin. The animal had her nose up in the air and a blissed-out expression on her face.

“Okay, Snow White,” he laughed. He was annoyed at the animal, but also, watching Ty, he kind of couldn’t blame her.

Ty probably could have stayed out in the sheep field all day, but unfortunately Mina got tired of it very quickly. Soon, she was tugging on Kit’s pants and demanding cookies.

Was he really that predictable?

He had not set out with the intention of going out for pastries, but he had enough money in his pocket, and, okay, he liked the idea of showing Ty all his favourite places in Devon. He lifted Mina back up onto his shoulders, held out his hand for Ty, and led them all to the nearest bakery.

It was lunchtime on a Saturday, so the place was busier than usual, and Kit immediately looked over at Ty, knowing how he felt about crowds and noise. But Ty just slid his headphones over his ears and nodded at Kit to signal that it was okay.

Still, Kit didn’t want to make things harder on Ty, so he got their order to go, smiling up at the person behind the counter. Once they were safely out the door, he stuffed the cookies into his pocket, handed his coffee to Ty, and lifted Mina up onto his shoulders. Then he took off, grabbing his drink in one hand and Ty’s hand in the other.

The walk back was not nearly as pleasant as the walk there, because Mina cried the whole way about not being allowed to eat her cookie yet, and absolutely refused to listen to their assurances that she would get to eat her cookie as soon as they got home. It was definitely nap time.

Their linked hands swung between them as they walked. Ty didn’t talk much, so Kit was happy to fill the silence with idle chatter about the town and the people who lived in it. He figured it must be doing something, because Ty seemed worlds better today than he had the previous day.

Jem was predictably annoyed to see them arrive with a bag of cookies, but Kit pointed out that they had a guest, which made this a special occasion, and Jem just rolled his eyes, grumbling something about allowance money not being spent properly.

“Hold on,” said Ty as soon as Jem had left the room. “Are you using me to get out of trouble?”

“Of course not,” he lied.

“Kit is always in trouble,” declared Mina, grabbing the paper bag out of Kit’s hands and running over to the couch. Ty smiled.

And then they were getting crumbs all over the couch as they devoured their cookies and Ty agreed that they were some of the best he’d ever had. Tessa appeared to chastise them and take Mina upstairs for her nap. Ty leaned his head on Kit’s shoulder.

“More Sherlock?”

With a nod, Kit got up to grab the book from upstairs. When he came back, Ty had set up a nest of pillows for them.

Kit settled in against Ty’s chest, and the other boy opened up the book and began to read.

Kit had never been much of a reader, but reading with Ty was quickly becoming one of his favourite things in the world. He closed his eyes and just listened, losing himself in the story and in the soothing sound of Ty’s voice.

They read for hours, stopping only so that Ty could drink water and rest his voice. At one point, Tessa walked in and her eyebrows just about disappeared into her hairline. Kit silently begged her to leave them alone, and eventually she did, with a massive smile on her face.

He wasn’t even sure if she was more smug about the cuddling or the fact that Kit was actually reading.

Eventually, Kit felt bad about making Ty do all the reading, and took over from him. He was self conscious at first - occasionally reading storybooks to Mina had not prepared him for this - but soon he got used to it, and by the time they were called into the dining room for dinner, they had made their way through a significant chunk of the book.

Jem and Tessa must really find them cute, Kit thought, because neither of them had bugged him about his studies all day.

They went straight to bed after dinner, just as they had the previous day, but this time neither of them were tired.

They lay face-to-face in the dark, their hands linked between them. Ty’s fingers were moving over Kit’s.

“Are you going to be okay?” Kit whispered. He didn’t like the idea of Ty going off on his own.

“Eventually.”

He could feel Ty’s breath tickling his face, smell the mint from his toothpaste.

“I’m not sure how to live without her,” Ty confessed quietly. “Even when she was a ghost, she was always there.”

Kit squeezed his hand. “I don’t want you to leave,” he whispered.

“Me neither.”

Words lay unspoken between them. Kit wasn’t just thinking about Ty going back to the Scholomance - he was thinking about Ty moving back to L.A., him staying in Devon, both of them moving on with their lives not knowing when they would see each other next.

He didn’t want that.

He really, really didn’t want it.

Ty’s hand moved up Kit’s arm and came to rest on his shoulder, his fingers running over the fabric there. He swallowed.

“Kit,” he whispered, his voice shaky. “I can’t thank you enough for the last few days.”

Kit shook his head. “Don’t.”

“I mean it. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

He shifted closer. Kit could barely see the other boy in the dark, but he could feel the heat radiating off him. He could feel the place where their feet touched, feel where his knee dug into Ty’s thigh, where Ty’s fingers touched his shoulder. He could see the rise and fall of Ty’s chest. He wanted to fall asleep like this every night, he realized. Or maybe he had always known this. Maybe he had always been this hopelessly in love with this boy. Maybe it was just getting harder and harder to deny.

Ty’s hand moved up again, his thumb running over Kit’s jaw. Kit’s stomach was in knots.

He traced his thumb, gently, over Kit’s bottom lip.

His eyes flicked up to meet Kit’s, then. It was a rare occurrence, Ty making eye contact, and every time he did it Kit kind of understood why it was so scary for him. Ty had this way of looking right through him, so that Kit knew it was impossible to lie to him, impossible to hide anything while Ty was looking right at him. But maybe it worked both ways, Kit thought, because Ty’s feelings were written all over his face, and Kit knew, with a calm sort of certainty, that he hadn’t imagined any of what had happened on the roof on New Year’s. He hadn’t been reading too much into the shirt and the hand holding and the cuddling. None of this was in his head. Ty was right here, right in front of him, touching his lips and asking, silently, for permission.

He could feel Ty’s fingers trembling as they moved back to his jaw. He saw Ty’s lips part, his tongue dart out to wet them. 

“Kit,” he breathed, his lips mere inches from Kit’s, “tell me if I should stop.”

Kit’s entire body was buzzing with energy. He could feel every place they touched, sense every little movement between them, smell soap and toothpaste and his own shampoo in Ty’s hair. But beneath the desire that clouded all of his senses and told him to lean forward and find out exactly what Ty wanted to do, he found that he was afraid.

Afraid of how much of his heart he had already given to Ty, and how much more he would give if he were allowed to do this. Afraid of how it would feel to say goodbye to him in the morning. Afraid of the possibility that Ty might wake up one day and realize he had made a mistake, had only done this out of loneliness, had only been clinging to Kit because Kit was the only person here and he wanted to feel close to someone. Ty's entire world had flipped upside down just two days ago. He wasn’t in any state to be making big confessions, and frankly, neither was Kit.

Kit had messed this up before. He didn’t know if he could handle messing it up again.

Slowly, never dropping eye contact, he placed his hand over Ty’s and moved it down so that it was resting against his chest, where his heart was beating erratically.

“Not now,” he whispered. “Not when you’re grieving. Not when you’re leaving tomorrow.”

Ty’s hand knotted itself in Kit’s shirt. Kit couldn’t quite believe that he was doing this, turning this down. But he knew he was right. He wanted to do this properly. This was too important. _Ty_ was too important.

“Kit, I-” but he broke off, shaking his head, and Kit drew him closer.

“We’ll write more letters,” he promised, his face pressed into Ty’s mess of dark hair. “And we’ll call each other, and when you go home to L.A., I’ll come with you.”

Ty stilled against him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He realized as he spoke that this was the right decision. He was the only person who knew the full story of what Ty was going through. He needed to be there for him.

And maybe, once Ty had had a bit of time to process everything that had happened with Livvy, to sort out whatever he might be feeling for Kit, maybe then they’d be able to revisit this. Kit had waited three years. He could wait a bit longer.

Ty nodded and hugged him tighter. His fingers traced circles on Kit’s back. He exhaled shakily, and Kit felt it against his throat.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

Kit laughed against his head, and Ty laughed too, pressing himself up against Kit so that there wasn’t a part of Kit’s body that wasn’t touching him. Their legs entwined. Kit ran his hand up and down Ty’s back.

“I care about you so much,” he whispered.

He felt Ty’s shoulders relax. His hand tightened its grip on Kit’s t-shirt. “I know,” he said, and then they didn’t talk anymore, just laid there listening to each other’s heartbeats until they both drifted off into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Ty was in no rush to leave, so they got to spend most of the next day together. 

Kit would have gladly spent the entire day glued to his side, but alas, he could only get out of training for so long, and Ty had no interest in joining him. After a big breakfast and a shower, he headed outside to throw a few knives, Ty staying in to play with Mina.

It was muggy outside, the air damp and crisp, and the cold seeped in through Kit’s light jacket. He didn’t plan on spending much time out on the training field; just enough to work up a sweat and be able to say that he had done it.

Jem came out to join him soon enough, patiently correcting him on the placement of his feet and adjusting his grip on the knife’s handle.

“There! Now draw it back - like so - and release.”

The knife sailed through the air and hit the center of the target. Kit whooped - this was a rare occurrence - and Jem patted him on the back. They decided this merited a water break, and walked over to where they had left their things. Kit crouched down to grab his water bottle.

“You didn’t tell me Ty was your boyfriend,” Jem said conversationally.

Kit choked on his water.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he finally got out after a round of coughing, closing his water bottle and putting it back where it had been.

“Oh.” Jem seemed genuinely surprised. “Sorry. I just assumed...”

Kit pushed his damp hair off his forehead and strode over to where he had stashed his knives. “Well, you assumed wrong.”

Jem didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he didn’t force the issue. He simply walked over to where Kit was standing and guided him through more knife throwing exercises.

Maybe this was the right time, Kit thought. He still hadn’t told Jem about his feelings for Ty, but apparently he hadn’t been very subtle about it. And Jem didn’t seem upset about it.

“I want him to be my boyfriend,” he blurted out, blushing furiously. His next throw missed by a long shot. He grabbed another knife.

“I can tell.”

“I promised him I’d spend the summer in Los Angeles.” Might as well get all his confessions out of the way at once.

Jem did seem surprised by that. He dropped his hands from where they had been guiding Kit’s posture. “The whole summer?”

“Yeah.” Kit rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean… if it’s okay with you, of course.”

“It’s fine with me. I guess I’m just surprised.”

“He’s been through a lot,” Kit explained, and it dawned on him that Jem was probably one of the only people in the world who could even come close to understanding what Ty had lost. “He and Livvy were going to be _parabatai_.”

As it always did, the word _parabatai_ set off something in Jem. His face fell, his eyes glazing over. Absently, he reached up to touch his shoulder, which Kit knew bore the scar of his _parabatai_ rune.

“That is” -he swallowed thickly- “not something that is easy to come back from.”

“No,” Kit agreed, twirling his knife dangerously between his fingers. Jem seemed a million miles away.

After a moment, Jem excused himself and walked back to the house. Kit figured their lesson was over for the day.

Kit almost felt bad, but he had dealt with this before. He knew by this point that this was just something that happened with Jem. The kind of loss he had endured was not something Kit would ever be able to understand. When moments like this one happened, he just had to give Jem space.

He stayed out for a bit longer, because he actually did need practice with knife throwing, so that by the time he trudged back into the house, he was drenched in sweat and desperately in need of a change of clothes. He made a beeline for the stairs, but paused when he passed by the living room.

Jem and Ty were sitting on the sofa together, talking softly. Kit couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he saw that Ty’s hands were curled around a mug, his head ducked low as he spoke, and Jem was listening. Kit smiled softly, and backed away.

* * *

When the sound of Jem’s violin started to fill the house, Kit figured it was safe to go back downstairs, and padded back down to the living room. He found Ty curled up in a corner of the sofa, Kit’s Sherlock book open on his lap.

“Traitor,” said Kit, crossing the room and settling in beside Ty. The other boy laughed and put his arm around him.

“It’s a good book.”

“Hm.” Kit sank deeper into the cushions and against Ty’s shoulder. “Good talk with Jem?”

“Yeah.” Ty ran his fingers through Kit’s hair, playing with the curls. “I’m going to write to him while I’m at the Scholomance.”

“That’s nice.” Ty was still carding his hands through Kit’s hair, and Kit didn’t ever want him to stop. When had he turned into a cat?

“Are you going to read or not?” he finally demanded. He felt Ty laugh.

“Rude.”

But he flipped back to the place where they had left off the previous day - really, Kit didn’t deserve this level of kindness - and started to read.

Too soon, Ty closed the book and announced that he should head back to the Scholomance. Kit pouted, and Ty didn’t look any happier about it than he felt, but he had homework to do and a lynx to take care of and he could only avoid his responsibilities for so long, so they got up reluctantly to go find Tessa.

“It’s only a few months,” Kit promised, as Tessa was creating a portal for Ty, and they had stepped off to the side to say goodbye. He was trying to reassure himself as much as the other boy.

They hugged, and they promised to write often, and Kit breathed in the smell of Ty and hoped the following months would pass by quickly.

* * *

The following months did not pass by quickly.

Kit moped, and moped, and moped, as only a seventeen-year-old Herondale boy could mope.

It was slightly more embarrassing, of course, now that Jem and Tessa knew exactly what was bothering him. They often shared amused glances that they thought he couldn’t see, and instead of constantly asking him what was bothering him, they now halfheartedly tried to reassure him that everything would turn out okay.

But the promise of everything turning out okay was part of the problem.

During the day, he tried to distract himself as much as possible. He threw himself into Shadowhunter training, and he hung out with Mina, and he helped out around the house, and he flirted (very unenthusiastically) with mundane girls.

He went on long walks, and he helped the neighbour with his farm chores, and then he trained some more, always busy, always moving forward. He went back to reading with Tessa, and she teased him mercilessly about it.

But at night, when he sat down to write to Ty, or when he pulled up Ty’s contact on his phone and smiled stupidly when he heard Ty’s voice on the other end, or when he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, he let himself think about it.

He thought about the feeling of Ty’s hands in his hair, the weight of Ty’s arms around his neck. The way Ty was just a little bit taller than him, so that when they were standing close, Kit had to lift his chin to look at him properly.

He thought about the tiny line of stubble across Ty’s jaw that he could only see when he was lying right next to him. About the steady beat of Ty’s heart when Kit was lying against his chest, and the pressure of his hand in his.

He thought about Ty’s thumb tracing over his lips, and the look in Ty’s eyes that last night together, and the promise Kit had made in the dark.

Summer could not come soon enough.

They called often. About every other day, in fact. Kit struggled to adjust to sleeping alone, even though he had only spent three nights with Ty, and the other boy seemed to have it much worse. They quickly developed a habit of talking on the phone for an hour or so before bed, and because Kit was pathetic and hopelessly in love, he looked forward to those hours more than he would ever dare admit to anyone.

“I actually started watching that Sherlock show,” Ty announced one day, while they were lying in their respective beds.

Kit grinned, even though he knew the other boy couldn’t see him. “The BBC one?”

“Yeah. I found a way to watch it on my phone.”

“And?” Kit rolled over onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. “What do you think?”

Ty hesitated.

“I don’t know why they had to change things.”

Kit groaned. “Not you too!”

“I didn’t say it was bad!” Kit could hear the laugh in Ty’s voice.

“Ty. Tiberius. Do you have _any_ idea how much time I’ve spent reading those books? And you won’t even give the show a chance? I can’t believe you.”

“I’m still going to watch it,” he grumbled.

“So you admit it’s good?”

Ty’s silence said it all. Kit shook his head.

“I like it,” Ty admitted, “but mostly because it makes me think of you.”

And. Well. Kit really didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Kit? Are you still there?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” He rolled back over so he was lying on his back, and was glad Ty couldn’t see the blush rising on his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “Anyways, I’m totally sending you Johnlock fanfiction as soon as you hang up.”

“What?”

Kit grinned up at his ceiling. “So you know how there’s this crazy amount of sexual tension between Sherlock and Watson?”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

Kit was still smiling. “No, I’m dead serious. You don’t think they belong together?”

“Kit, we’ve read the books.” Ty sounded genuinely exasperated. “You know they’re straight.”

“I mean.” Kit sank back against the pillows. “Maybe, but it’s kind of nice to imagine they’re not.”

“But why would you do that?”

Kit thought about it for a minute. “It’s like… we never get to see queer characters on TV, and as a kid that made things really confusing because I didn’t really know that it was a thing, right? Like, I didn’t know that I could fall in love with a boy and it could be normal and not weird. And even now, sometimes it still feels like it’s this big thing that makes me super different from everyone else. But seeing two men who care so much about each other and look at each other the way they do… I guess it’s just nice to think they’re in love. Makes me feel less alone.”

“Oh.” There was a long pause. The joking tone was gone from Ty’s voice. Kit's heart was pounding. He felt weirdly nervous. Ty knew he wasn't straight, and unless he had seriously misunderstood Ty's words and Ty's actions, he was pretty sure Ty wasn't straight either. It wasn't exactly a big revelation, but it still felt scary to put into words something that, up until this point, had only been implied. Like a tiny part of him was worried he might have misunderstood everything and Ty might get scared away.

“I guess I never really saw it that way,” said Ty after a long pause.

“No?”

Ty hesitated. “It just wasn’t a big deal in my house,” he admitted. “Being gay, I mean. I didn’t think about it the way you do.”

Kit wondered, not for the first time, what it might have been like to grow up in a household like Ty’s; raised by young siblings instead of parents, seeing his oldest sister marry a woman and be accepted by her family, knowing that his brother was bisexual as well and that it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t often that Kit envied Ty’s upbringing, but now he felt envy surge up in him as he thought of all the pain and confusion he had endured throughout school, and what it might have been like to grow up without it.

Ty had already had to endure so much during his life, but he was lucky, at least, that the world had spared him this particular pain.

“You know,” he admitted, “I’m lowkey kind of jealous of the way you grew up.”

Ty huffed out a laugh. “I don’t hear that very often,” he said, but Kit could hear the smile in his voice.

“How many people know?” he asked. “About you, I mean.”

“Livvy knew,” said Ty. “And Dru. The rest, I have no idea. It never really came up, I guess.”

“Huh.” Kit was kind of amazed at how casually Ty seemed to approach this topic. He truly could not relate.

“What about you?” Ty asked tentatively.

“Jem and Tessa,” he said. “And you.”

Ty hummed in agreement, and they returned to less heavy subjects. It was nice, Kit thought, just to have someone to talk to. He’d never really had close friends before. Certainly no one that he could open up to like this. He was hopelessly in love with Ty, yes, but Ty was also his best friend. He was also pretty sure he was Ty’s best friend.

They stayed up later than usual that night, neither of them wanting to hang up and face the night alone. Kit thought of how nice it would be to actually do this in person, and mentally updated his countdown until the day they would get to see each other again.


	17. Chapter 17

“Hold on, Jem, this isn’t right. Kit’s ready to go, but I didn’t have to bug him about it for twenty minutes.”

“Funny how he knows how to pack his own suitcase all of sudden.”

Kit rolled his eyes as he hauled his single suitcase out the front door. It was a hot summer day, and he had been waiting for this moment for months.

Today, at long last, he was going to Los Angeles.

His stomach was a ball of nerves, and he wasn’t sure if he was more embarrassed or touched that Jem and Tessa seemed to be almost as excited about this as he was. They had both seen the way he and Ty had acted around each other during Ty's brief stay with them, and they had seen Kit moping around in the months since Ty had gone back to the Scholomance, and they had clearly drawn their own conclusions about what was going on between them.

It was kind of terrifying.

A few days ago, Tessa had sat him down at the dinner table while Jem and Mina were out on a walk, and Kit had known that he was about to have one of the most uncomfortable conversations of his life.

“Now, I know you don’t want to have this conversation, and frankly neither do I, but it has to be done and Jem was too embarrassed to do it.”

“Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

“Let’s not pretend I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen between yourself and Tiberius while you’re in Los Angeles.”

Kit had put his head on the table. 

“Nooooo.”

But Tessa had been undeterred.

“I am not trying to embarrass you, Kit. I just want to make sure you’re being safe and mature about this whole thing.” Then she had reached out and pulled out a pile of pamphlets - _pamphlets!_ Kit would never live this down - and passed them across the table.

“My first son’s _parabatai_ was bisexual - like yourself - and he never stopped talking - also like yourself - so I know far more about these matters than I ever wanted to, but still not enough to be a proper resource for you, so I visited a local centre to pick these up. I considered asking Magnus for advice, but he’s not exactly known for being mature, and I figured you wouldn’t want him to be involved.”

No, Kit _definitely_ would not have wanted that. He had reached across the table and pocketed the pamphlets, and through his embarrassment had been touched that Tessa cared enough to seek these out.

Not that that made it any less embarrassing, he thought, standing outside as he got ready to leave. He wasn’t even sure anything would happen with Ty, anyways. Emotions had been high after they had lost Livvy’s ghost; there was no guarantee Ty would feel the same way after a few months apart.

And that was okay. Just being around Ty for a few months sounded amazing.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he completely missed what Tessa said next.

“Sorry, what?”

She laughed. “I asked if you’re ready to go.”

“Definitely yes.”

Everyone laughed, and then he hugged Tessa goodbye. The whole family would be joining him toward the end of the summer, just for a short vacation in L.A., but that was over a month away, and he really was going to miss them. From Jem’s arms, Mina reached out to him, and he wrapped her in a giant bear hug.

“You’ll be good for them, right?”

“No!”

“That’s the spirit.”

He set her down, and moved to hug Jem.

“Take care of him, okay?” Jem whispered into Kit’s curls. He and Ty had been exchanging letters ever since their talk.

“Of course.”

And then he drew back and grabbed the handle of his suitcase in one hand and the top of his rabbit cage with the other, and with a final wave, he stepped through the portal and into Los Angeles.

Ty was sitting on the steps of the Institute. He leapt up as soon as Kit appeared, a massive grin taking over his face. Kit dropped his suitcase and the rabbit cage and threw his arms around the taller boy, because apparently they did this now.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Ty pulled back and let his arms drop to his sides, still smiling. “It’s really nice to see you.”

“You too.”

He smiled up into the other boy’s eyes, marveling at the fact that they would get to spend the next two months together.

He almost couldn’t believe it.

It was still early in California - damn time zones - so most of the Blackthorns were just waking up and wandering, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen for breakfast. Kit and Ty stopped by to say a quick hello. Dru gave Kit a hug, while Julian politely asked about his family.

And then they were at the top of the stairs, and Kit was hesitating, because he wasn’t sure which room he should go to.

He wasn’t going to be spending much time in his own room. He and Ty both knew that. But the others didn’t, and surely they would notice if he didn’t even bother to put his stuff in his own room?

Somehow, he didn’t think Julian would be particularly happy about that.

Mind made up, he wheeled his suitcase over to his old room, Ty trailing behind him, and shoved it in without even bothering to unzip it. Then he closed the door, and turned to face Ty.

“Beach?”

* * *

Neither of them had been to the beach since the holidays - Ty having only arrived the previous night - so this was a big moment for them. Kit waded out as far as he could without completely ruining his shorts, and closed his eyes as he let the waves crash over him. He could barely believe he was actually back home for the summer.

God, he had missed L.A.

Ty appeared at his side, smiling. He slipped his hand into Kit’s without a second thought. 

They walked for a bit, first splashing through the water and then moving over to the sand. They weren’t glamoured, so a few mundanes gave them strange looks, staring disapprovingly at their hands. Kit’s stomach twisted into knots at the thought that people might assume they were a couple. If Ty noticed, he didn’t show it.

They had shared more than enough words in their letters and over the phone, but it was different now, being together in person. Kit could see Ty laugh at his stories about Mina, and when Ty talked about how lonely he had felt on his own without Livvy’s ghost for company, Kit was able to squeeze his hand reassuringly.

When they finally made their way back into the Institute, Kit was instantly glad to have had that time alone, because suddenly the entire Blackthorn family seemed intent on keeping them apart. Dru wanted to watch movies with Kit. Helen had important Clave paperwork that she needed Ty’s help with. Emma wanted to spar with Kit so that she could see how much he had improved (there was _no way_ Kit was doing that again). They didn’t get a moment alone until the sun had set and Kit was discreetly slipping into Ty’s room for the night and shutting off the light.

“What time is it in Devon right now?”

“Late,” Kit said through a yawn. “It’s been a long day.”

Ty laughed and lifted up the covers so that Kit could slip into bed beside him. The last time Kit had slept in this bed, he and Ty had stuck to their respective sides, not touching except by accident. Now, he wrapped his arm across Ty’s waist without hesitation, and tucked his head against the other boy’s chest, breathing in the scent of him.

“Do you want to read?” Ty asked, hand reaching up to play with Kit’s hair.

Kit shook his head, and yawned again. “Too tired. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Okay.”

Ty’s body was warm, and with his head resting on Ty’s chest, Kit could just barely hear the steady beat of his heart. Through the haze of exhaustion, he wondered if this should be awkward. The last time they had shared a bed, Kit was pretty sure they had almost kissed. He wanted to kiss Ty. Maybe soon. Definitely before he went back to Devon. Maybe he should have kissed him on the beach today. It just hadn’t felt like the right moment. There had been people around.

The right moment would come, he thought, as he snuggled closer to the other boy and sighed against him. Eventually. Just not tonight.

* * *

He woke up ridiculously early, still holding on to Ty like his life depended on it, with Ty’s arm pinning him in place. Even if he had wanted to get up - which he very much did not - it would have been impossible to do without waking up the other boy.

Ty was cute when he was asleep. Kit had spent so much of the last two years wanting nothing more than to see Ty again, and now whenever they were together he spent so much of that time trying not to stare at him. It was freeing to finally have a chance to just look.

And so he looked. 

He had never felt this way about anyone before. Never _wanted_ anyone the way he wanted Ty. It was exhilarating and terrifying and he didn’t know how to make something happen without scaring him away.

At some point, he must have drifted off to sleep again, because when we woke the second time the slightest hint of daylight was coming in through the window, and Kit quickly realized that he was going to have a _very_ embarrassing problem if Ty woke up any time soon.

And that problem was unlikely to get any better as long as Ty was lying next to him and looking like… well, like himself.

Kit figured he had two options right now. He could stay in bed until Ty woke up, and hope that in that time his body figured out that now was _not the time_ \- unlikely to work - or he could risk untangling himself from Ty and hope the other boy would stay asleep long enough for him to make it to the shower. 

Carefully, holding his breath all the while, he reached up to move Ty’s arm from where it was flung over his shoulder. Ty frowned in his sleep, and moved closer to Kit, but, thankfully, he didn’t wake up. Kit exhaled.

He scooted backward and almost fell off the bed, but caught himself. Panicked, he looked over at Ty, who was stirring, but still hadn’t opened his eyes. He didn’t have much time.

He sprinted the few steps to the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Ty was awake when Kit stepped back into the room, dressed in the same pyjamas he had worn the night before because he was absolutely _not_ in the right headspace to walk out of the shower in nothing but a towel. Ty’s arms were stretched over his head, his shirt riding up past his belly button. Kit looked away, blushing furiously.

“You’re up early.”

Kit could not make eye contact. He could not even _look_ in Ty’s general direction, not when he was adorably sleep-rumpled and stretched out, not after what Kit had just done in the shower. His face was absolutely burning as he ran the towel over his hair and hung it over a chair.

“I should-” he coughed “-I should probably get back to my room. Before people notice.”

“Oh.” Kit heard the sound of sheets rustling, and looked over his shoulder to see Ty sitting up in bed, his hair sticking up all over the place. He turned back around hurriedly.

“I’ll…” he waved vaguely at the door. “See you later.” Then with a quick smile over his shoulder, he walked out the door and down the hall.

* * *

Unfortunately, it quickly became clear to Kit that he would have to wait a bit longer to make a move, because his second day in Los Angeles ended up being just as busy as the first one, and he was afforded just as little time to hang out with Ty. They didn’t even get a moment alone until that night, when Kit volunteered to accompany him on patrol.

A few hours in, Kit was starting to realize that he and Ty were not exactly the best team when it came to hunting demons.

Ty was a fantastic detective, and a fairly skilled Shadowhunter when he put his mind to it, but he didn’t live for killing demons the way Jace and Emma and even Dru did.

And Kit… well, Kit was trying his best.

It was a busy night, and together they managed to take down three demons within the first hour. Kit was feeling pretty good about himself, if he was being completely honest. His training sessions were starting to pay off, and yeah, he was a little smug about the fact that Ty had just seen him take down a scorpios demon almost single-handedly.

Sadly, though, demon slaying did not seem to impress Ty overly much.

His headphones were over his ears, his arms swinging at his sides. A casual observer might think he wasn’t paying much attention, but Kit could see the way his eyes were scanning their surroundings, on the alert for potential threats.

Kit was actually the one distracted. It didn’t matter how many times he saw Tiberius Blackthorn in gear; it was still a sight that was difficult to look away from.

Ty didn’t wear black very often, but it was very much his colour. It set off the black of his hair, and made him look tougher, stronger, more dangerous.

Of course, Kit liked him just as much in t-shirts, and hoodies, and everything else he wore. Maybe Kit just found him attractive in everything. It didn’t help that he had just spent the entire day missing Ty and thinking about kissing Ty and obsessively staring at Ty’s mouth every time he saw him, which was apparently all Kit did these days.

His thoughts were interrupted, abruptly, by a very human scream coming from just around the corner.

They sprang into action immediately, weapons out, sprinting down the street until they pulled up in front of a group of people crouching over a body.

No. Not a group of people.

Faeries.

Cursing, Kit fumbled for the iron blade he had added to his weapons belt in case of a situation like this one. Ty pushed him backward and stepped in front of him, blade out, shielding him from the faeries, who had spotted them and drawn up to their full height.

Kit counted four of them. They were weaponless, dressed in plain clothing. Rogues. Not soldiers. Just a group of fae having a bit of fun after dark.

He hated killing faeries. He did not want to hurt these ones. But they advanced on him and Ty, and he knew that even without blades, they weren’t going down without a fight.

He and Ty were shoulder-to-shoulder now, sizing up their opponents.

“We don’t want a fight,” Kit offered, and then the faeries attacked.

Kit and Ty had the advantage of weapons, but the fight was two-to-one, and the faeries were _fast_. Kit only had the one iron blade, so he had to make do with that in one hand and a shortsword in the other. He was tired within minutes.

Ty had taken down one of the faeries, and was moving over toward Kit, who was now down to only one blade - his shortsword had been taken, and he was now in a fight for his life.

The faerie girl was vicious, and skilled with a blade. She pressed him back, away from Ty, as her friends teamed up against the other boy.

Kit tripped.

He hit the ground hard, and rolled to avoid what would have been a killing blow. His weapon fell out of his hand, and she kicked it away.

She was standing over him, blade raised, lips curling back to reveal sharp canines. Kit was breathing hard. He didn’t know how long he could keep this up.

Then, suddenly, she froze.

The faerie girl staggered back, dropping her weapon, as a look of horror took over her face.

“ _You,_ ” she gasped.

Kit didn’t know what was happening, but he grabbed his weapon and jumped up to his feet. The faerie turned to her friends.

“STOP!” she yelled. “Stop, stop, it’s _him!_ The one the Queen told us about!”

The faeries stopped fighting. Ty looked between them, visibly confused. Kit was frozen in place.

All three faeries were staring at him.

“It _is_ him,” one of them said in wonder.

“I never thought I’d see the day,” said another.

The first one inclined her head.

“Apologies. We did not realize who you were.”

And then they ran off, leaving Kit and Ty alone in the middle of the street.

Ty was staring at him, his hands fluttering at his sides. He had dropped his weapon.

“What just happened?”

“Um.” Kit was still trying to figure it out himself. His mind was running a million miles a minute. He was breathing hard.

“Kit.” Ty moved closer, and his voice was deadly serious. “If there’s something you’ve been hiding from me, you need to tell me right now.”

Kit was struggling to get air into his lungs. Everything had happened so quickly. What did it mean that those faeries knew who he was? Why had they run away? And Ty… Ty was staring right at him, and there was no way to hide it anymore. He knew too much.

“Well.” Kit searched for the right words. “As it turns out, my mom wasn’t just a Shadowhunter.”

Ty waited. Kit took a deep breath. Fixed his gaze on Ty’s shoulder. And explained.

Maybe he shouldn’t be talking about this out in the open, but he figured his secret was out now if the random faeries knew about it, and frankly, he was so worked up that he couldn’t really bring himself to care. He told Ty everything - the story about the First Heir, what his mom had had to endure because of it, the way he had discovered his powers in the middle of battle and still didn’t know how to use them.

Ty looked absolutely stunned. He was staring wide-eyed at Kit, his mouth half open, his hands fluttering at his sides.

“Who else knows?” he asked gently.

“Just Jem and Tessa,” Kit said, and inhaled shakily. “And every faerie in the Seelie court, apparently.”

He looked up at the sky and bit his tongue, trying to steady his breathing. He wasn’t doing this here. Not now. He needed to pull himself together.

“And don’t ask me what I’m going to do about it, because I have no _fucking_ idea.” His voice cracked embarrassingly on the last word and he had to take a few deep breaths to control himself, his nails digging into his palms.

“I wasn’t going to ask that.” Ty took a tentative step forward. Kit didn’t back away.

Kit reached up to pull on his hair. His hands were shaking. He pressed his palms against his eyes. He couldn’t breathe properly. His bottom lip was trembling. “Good, ‘cause - ‘cause I don’t even know what it _means_ to be Faerie royalty and I - I just can’t-”

He broke off with a shake of his head. He dropped his hands and shook them at his sides, tilting his head back as he tried to keep his breathing even. He couldn’t do this now. “I’m sorry,” he choked out.

“Hey.” Ty was right in front of him now. Kit felt him take his hand gently. “Don’t apologize.”

He laughed shakily. How many times had he said that exact thing to Ty? God, they were a mess. Things had been going so well, and now here he was, on the verge of a breakdown in the middle of the street.

Ty squeezed his hand. “Deep breaths,” he said. Kit inhaled deeply through his nose, held it for a long as he could, and exhaled. He repeated the motion a few times, matching Ty’s breathing, until he had calmed down enough that he didn’t feel on the verge of tears anymore. Ty leaned his forehead against his. Kit closed his eyes. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of car engines.

“Kit?”

“Yeah?”

Ty swallowed. “I’m going to ask you a question,” he said slowly, “and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”

Kit nodded. Ty hesitated.

“Why did you go to Faerie with me?” he asked after a long pause.

Kit exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked down at Ty’s mouth, so close to his. The hand that wasn’t holding Ty’s went up to rest against Ty’s shoulder.

“You know why.”

Ty waited.

Ty’s gear jacket was too big for him. Kit knotted his hand in the material. He could feel Ty’s chest rising and falling.

“I couldn’t stand the idea of you going in alone.”

“Kit?” Ty’s voice was thick with emotion. The hand that wasn’t holding Kit’s went up to rest against his waist. Kit forgot how to breathe.

“Yeah?”

Ty’s lips parted. His tongue darted out to wet them. He looked like he wanted to say something. Kit waited.

But Ty didn’t say anything. Instead, his other hand went up to grip Kit’s waist, and he leaned down to press his lips to Kit’s.


	18. Chapter 18

It took Kit’s brain a moment to catch up.

He was frozen in place, and Ty was _kissing him_ , actually kissing him, his lips warm and soft and gentle and slightly hesitant, and then suddenly he was pulling away, and Kit realized belatedly that he hadn’t even kissed him back.

He rose up on his tiptoes, his lips reconnecting with Ty’s as his arms went up to loop around his neck. Ty made a choked sort of sound and pulled him closer, ducking down so they were on the same level, his head tilting so he could get a better angle. When had he gotten so _tall?_ Ty sighed against his mouth and then he was pushing him backward, still kissing him, his hands still clamped around Kit’s hips.

Kit stumbled, but Ty caught him, and then his back hit the wall behind him and he was grateful because he didn’t think his knees could hold up any longer.

Ty was still kissing him. His mouth was hot and hungry against Kit’s. He was new to this, Kit could tell, his lips sloppy and a little bit hesitant and definitely inexperienced but very enthusiastic, and it was doing funny things to Kit’s heart. They kissed and kissed and _kissed_ , and then they came up for air, gasping, and Ty leaned his forehead against Kit’s.

Kit had been about to say something. They had been in the middle of a conversation, he was pretty sure. There was something he needed to say to Ty. But he couldn’t think. It must not have been that important after all. Surely it could wait.

“Do that again,” he said instead.

And so he did.

Their mouths collided again, and nothing else mattered except this, nothing _existed_ except Ty’s mouth against his and Ty’s hair between his fingers and Ty’s body pressed up against him and Ty’s _hands_ , which were roaming over Kit’s torso, and even through the layers of gear, he could feel every place they touched.

Kit bit down on Ty’s bottom lip. The sound Ty made in response made Kit’s brain short circuit. 

They broke apart again. This time, Ty took a step back, his hands reaching up to touch his lips, which were deliciously swollen. His hair was impossibly messy. Kit had to shut his eyes against the image. That, plus the gear, was too much right now.

“By the angel.”

Kit’s head slammed back against the wall. His entire body was on fire.

“Yeah.”

His eyes roamed over Ty’s body. His fingers ached to reach out, to pull Ty toward him again, to kiss him until neither of them could remember their own names. One look at Ty’s face suggested he was feeling the same way.

“That. Um.” Ty seemed to be struggling to find words. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Kit breathed out a laugh. "It's about fucking time.”

Ty was staring at his lips. He seemed completely transfixed. “I was waiting for you.”

“I was waiting for the right moment.”

Ty gave him the most incredulous look. It might have been funny if Kit hadn’t been absolutely _suffering_ with how much he wanted to shove his tongue down Ty’s throat. “Any moment would have been the right moment,” he said.

Kit laughed, and then because he couldn’t help himself anymore, he took a step forward and slipped his arms over Ty’s shoulders. He got up on tiptoe and kissed him.

“Good to know,” he said against Ty’s lips.

Ty pulled back reluctantly. His eyes were still closed. Kit watched him swallow.

“We should probably go,” he said.

With a sigh, Kit pulled back and looked around for his discarded weapons.

Taking in the sight in front of them - the blood on the street, the broken faerie and mundane bodies - Kit came back to himself a little bit. He remembered what had happened. What they had been talking about. What he had wanted to tell Ty.

“I should have told you about the First Heir thing,” he said, when Ty came back to hand him his swords.

“It’s alright.” The corner of Ty’s mouth quirked up. Kit wanted to kiss it. “Guess I understand why you didn’t.”

Ty’s eyes were raking over Kit, and Kit realized he must look just as flustered and disheveled as Ty did. And Ty was _appreciating_ it. They needed to get moving, he thought, before things got out of hand again.

Together, they disposed of the bodies - mundane and faerie - then took off down the street.

Ty’s hand slipped into Kit’s.

Kit couldn’t quite believe this was real. He had wanted this for so long, had known that it was pretty much an eventuality, but now that it was real it felt too good to be true.

And. Well. No matter how many times he had pictured their first kiss, he had never imagined it would be like _that_.

He truly, honestly, did not know how he was supposed to share a bed with Ty after that.

He could barely _look_ at the guy, to be honest, and Ty seemed to be feeling the same way. Their eyes kept meeting, and every time Kit thought of Ty pressing him up against the wall and kissing him senseless, and he had to look away before he burst into flames.

There were two versions of Ty in his mind now. There was the version that read with him and talked to him late into the night and liked playing with his hair, and then there was the version that he had just discovered a few minutes ago.

He stopped, somewhat abruptly, tugging on Ty’s hand so the other boy stopped and turned to face him, an amused smile playing across his lips. Kit leaned up to kiss him, then pulled back, grinning.

“We really should get back to the Institute,” said Ty. He stared at Kit’s lips and made no move to back away.

“Oh yeah?” He wrapped his arms around Ty’s waist and pulled him closer, tilting his chin up to look at him. “Why aren’t you pulling away, then?” he teased.

Ty sighed exasperatedly, but leaned down and fitted his mouth to Kit’s, his hands snaking up to rest on Kit’s shoulders. Kit was smiling so much he could barely kiss him back.

“I can’t believe I get to do this,” said Ty, mirroring Kit’s earlier thoughts.

“Me neither.”

“I’m sorry if I’m bad at it.”

Kit laughed and pulled back to smile up at him. “You’re a natural,” he assured the other boy, “and I’d be happy to help you practice.”

Ty leaned down to kiss him again. Kit grabbed at the material at his waist, rising up on his tiptoes to get a better angle. Ty’s lips were smooth and gentle and warm and his mouth tasted like the chocolate chip cookies they’d had for dessert and it should have been a bit gross but it really, really wasn’t.

He could keep kissing Ty forever. He wanted to. This wasn’t like kissing anyone else, not like the mundanes from school or the downworlders from the Market. This was a kiss that he never wanted to stop. This was everything he had ever wanted with Ty and so much more.

“We really should go,” Ty mumbled against his lips, and Kit had to admit he was right. There would be more kisses when they got back.

More kisses. In Ty’s room. And Ty’s bed.

Maybe they should head back after all.

They made it back to the Institute eventually, and after a quick detour to the weapons room to drop off their weapons, they walked back to Ty’s room.

Kit didn’t know who initiated it, but the moment the door was closed behind them, they were kissing again, Ty pushing him up against the door and Kit melting in his arms because apparently this was a _major_ turn on for him.

Ty was pressed up against him from his mouth to his chest all the way down to his hips, his tongue slipping experimentally into Kit’s mouth as he kissed him within a inch of his life. It was different, doing this here, in Ty’s room. There were no city noises, no threat of being interrupted, and a whole lot less urgency. They could take their time, exploring this new thing between them, this thing they had wanted to do for so long and were finally allowed to do. Kit found the zipper on Ty’s gear jacket and pulled it down, then pushed the jacket over his shoulders so he could run his hands over the thin material of Ty’s t-shirt, feeling the heat that radiated off every part of Ty’s body as he sighed against Kit’s mouth and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Ty’s hands tore themselves away from Kit’s body and pressed against the door on either side of him, caging him in.

This, he thought as Ty broke away from his mouth and started to press kisses against his jaw, breathing heavily against Kit’s skin, was something he could _definitely_ get used to.

Too soon, Ty stepped back, his hand reaching up to tug on his hair.

“We should-” he cleared his throat. “-I mean, I should. Go. I should shower.”

“Right.”

He made no move to leave. They were both staring at each other, breathing hard.

Ty always showered after coming back from patrol. He was a night shower person. He liked being clean when he got into bed. Kit wondered if he minded Kit getting into bed with him covered in sweat and dirt. He had never mentioned it.

Of course, Kit could probably use the shower for an entirely _different_ reason right now, but he couldn’t exactly say that, and thinking about what Ty might do in the shower would definitely _not_ help his situation.

Finally, Ty left for real, grabbing his pyjamas on his way into the washroom, and Kit stood dumbly in the middle of the room for a minute, before remembering that his pyjamas were in his own room. He crept out the door and down the hall, and began stripping off his gear as soon as he was back in his room. After a long time in his own roobathm, he pulled on his pyjamas and made his way back to Ty.

The water was still running, and Kit tried very, _very_ hard not to think about that as he climbed under the covers and waited.

Eventually, Ty emerged from the bathroom, turned off the lights, and crawled into bed next to Kit.

And they were facing each other in the dark.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Kit reached up to push back a lock of dark hair. “So. That was new.”

“Yeah.” Ty was smiling. It was infectious.

“Good, though.”

“Definitely good.”

They both laughed. Kit leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss against the other boy’s lips. It felt different, kissing in Ty’s bed, in the dark, without the urgency or the heat that their other kisses had had. He pulled back and leaned his head against Ty’s chest.

“This isn’t weird, is it?” Ty asked, putting his arm around Kit.

“Maybe a little bit,” he admitted.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah.”

Kit moved a little closer to him, and let his eyes close. He started to relax, gradually, as he listened to Ty’s breathing and felt Ty's hands gently moving over his back. This didn’t have to be weird. It was new, yes, and a little bit scary, but it was just them. Just Kit and Ty. 

Maybe with a bit more kissing.

* * *

He woke to fingers trailing delicately along his waist, tracing patterns along the skin under his shirt. His lips curved into a smile as he shifted closer to the warm body lying next to him, and he felt wetness on his cheeks, Ty’s mouth pressing kisses over his cheekbones, his dimples, his temple.

 _Oh._

Right. This was a thing now.

“Morning, you,” he said with a laugh, his eyes blinking open to find Ty’s face pressed up right against his.

Ty grinned.

“It’s about time,” he said, and connected their mouths.

Kit sighed into the kiss, sinking back into the pillows and pulling Ty partially on top of him. Their kisses last night had been heated and desperate, but this one was slow, lingering, tongues exploring mouths. Ty lost his balance and his elbow dug into Kit’s side.

“Ow!” 

“Sorry!”

Kit lifted his head to kiss him again, but Ty pulled back, his nose wrinkling.

“Your breath smells.”

“So does yours, dummy.”

Ty giggled. “Well, you won’t get me to kiss you again by calling me names,” he teased.

“Yeah, sounds like you’ll need a lot of convincing.”

And just like that, it wasn’t awkward anymore.

Laughing, Ty leaned down to press gentle kisses against his jaw, and Kit’s hands slipped under Ty’s shirt to touch the bare skin of his back.

“Any plans for today?”

“We should stay here,” Ty suggested, smiling against his skin. Kit laughed.

“I think your brother might have something to say about that.”

Ty’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Can you be more specific?”

“I don’t think Julian would approve of this,” Kit clarified.

Ty shrugged. “He’ll get over it.” His mouth moved to Kit’s neck.

“Yeah, after he kills me.”

They laughed, Ty rolling off him to lie on his back. Kit could not stop smiling.

“Seriously, though,” Kit said, staring up at the ceiling. “Maybe we could keep this a secret from Julian for a bit? Just until I can be sure he won’t murder me in my sleep?”

“He won’t _murder_ you,” Ty argued. Then, after a pause. “Probably.”

“Just give me a few weeks to win him over.”

Ty hummed. “Good luck with that.”

“Hey!” he smacked Ty on the arm playfully, and they dissolved into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Keeping things a secret proved to be much more difficult than anticipated.

The instant Kit set foot in the kitchen and spotted Ty sitting at the table, dressed in training gear and calmly eating his oatmeal, he felt all his blood rushing up to his face, and had to look away hurriedly.

“Morning, Kit!” said Helen, cheerfully scooping oatmeal into a bowl for him. She was standing at the stove, dressed in pyjamas, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. Beside her, Aline was sitting cross-legged on the counter. They were the only people in the kitchen other than Ty and himself.

“Morning.” Kit hoped his voice sounded natural as he moved to take the bowl of oatmeal.

“You two have fun on patrol last night?” asked Aline, reaching over to put her now-empty bowl in the sink.

Ty dropped his spoon. Kit tripped over a chair.

“Yup!” Kit said a little too quickly, slamming his bowl down on the table and sliding into the seat farthest from Ty’s.

Kit suddenly became very interested in his breakfast. There was silence, except for the clanging of spoons against bowls.

Helen turned around, a concerned frown on her face. “Did something happen?”

“Nope,” said Kit, his face burning. “Nothing at all.”

“Okaaaaay,” said Aline. “So clearly something _did_ happen.”

“It was nothing,” said Ty hurriedly, standing up to put his bowl in the sink. “We ran into a few faeries, but we dealt with it.”

“Doesn’t sound like it was nothing,” Helen grumbled.

Kit continued to stare into his bowl.

“You guys really aren’t going to say anything?” Aline sounded more annoyed than anything.

“Nope!” yelled Ty on his way out of the room.

Kit deliberately did not make eye contact with either of the young women as he finished his breakfast, tossed his bowl into the sink, and darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the training room.


	19. Chapter 19

Kit generally enjoyed Diana’s lessons.

Her style was very different from Jem’s and Tessa’s, but it was kind of nice to learn something new. Kit was definitely becoming a much more versatile fighter, thanks to her.

Today, however, was not his day.

Training with Ty was nothing new. He did it all the time. It should not be affecting him in this way. His eyes shouldn’t be lingering on the curve of Ty’s throat as he spoke to Diana, or the elegant shape of his hands as he handled a knife, or the sweat on his brow as he pushed back his mess of black hair.

The worst part was that Ty seemed to be equally affected.

Kit caught him staring as many times as he himself was caught staring, and every time it sent heat rushing up to his face. He definitely caught Ty fumbling his weapons several times, too, and that _never_ happened.

He had always found Ty stupidly attractive, but he wasn’t used to knowing that Ty also found _him_ attractive, and really, how could he be expected to go about his day knowing _that_?

And maybe he’d always had a thing for Ty in gear, or maybe it was just the memory of Ty dressed in black and pushing him up against a wall last night, but it was almost impossible to look away from him.

He was creating a mental list of places on Ty’s body that he was going to kiss once he got him alone. It was not helping his problem at all.

“Everything alright there?” Diana strode up to him, dressed in a black tank top and jeans, her hair tied up in a neat bun. Behind her, Dru was polishing a knife on her shirt and clearly pretending not to listen.

“I’m fine,” Kit said dismissively, squaring up his next throw. It missed horrifically.

“You seem distracted.”

“Guess I didn’t sleep well last night.”

He had actually slept extremely well last night, just not for very long, and actually that had nothing to do with this at all but it was a plausible excuse.

Dru snorted, then tried to cover it up with a cough, and Kit glared daggers at her. She smirked.

Okay, so she was definitely onto them.

Diana soon figured out that neither Kit nor Ty were getting anywhere with weapons training, and made them fall from the rafters a few times before dismissing them. Ty was predictably excellent at this last task, while Kit walked out of it with several bruises.

Dru sauntered up to him as he left the training room.

“Didn’t get much sleep, huh?”

“I was on patrol.” He looked straight ahead and tried not to let his face betray anything.

“Sure, that was it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

They rounded the corner and stopped at the door to his room. He kept most of his clothes here, sneaking over in the mornings to shower and get changed because he had to keep up appearances that he was actually using it. He still wasn’t about to let Dru walk in.

“Can I help you?”

She had her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face. Kit could tell she was waiting for a confession, and he wasn’t going to give it to her.

“You’re really not going to say anything?” she asked.

“Nope.” And with that, he swung the door open and stepped into his bedroom.

Irene was waiting for him. She had been banished to his room while the rabbit lived in Ty’s, and was one of the reasons why Kit tried to spend as little time here as possible. She was very unhappy about her new living arrangements - understandably - and often lashed out at Kit, apparently understanding that he was part of the reason she couldn’t sleep in Ty’s bed anymore.

Honestly, Kit would probably be reacting the same way in her situation.

“Sorry, girl,” he said, crouching down to scratch her behind the ears. “Guess he just likes me better.”

They put her outside whenever possible, but Irene’s problem wasn’t being inside; it was being away from Ty. 

She swatted his nose in response, and Kit stood up before things could escalate any further. He and Irene were slowly getting used to each other, and she was definitely a lot nicer than Church, but Kit just wasn’t a cat person.

Also, she could definitely sense his fear.

He stripped off his gear and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles. By the time he stepped out, Irene was lying on his bed, kneading her claws into the sheets and looking very pleased with herself about it. He threw his towel at her, but he couldn’t exactly get mad about it when he never even used the bed and had no intention of ever using it.

Ty showed up right as he was pulling on a shirt, dressed in jeans and t-shirt and somehow looking even more attractive than he had during training. Irene leapt off the bed as soon as he appeared, skidding along the wooden floor and jumping right up into his arms. Laughing, Ty crouched down to hug her and press a kiss to the top of her head.

“Alright, I see how it is,” said Kit, walking up to them. “Guess I come in second for both of you.”

Ty gave Irene one last scratch under her chin, then stood up and placed his hands on Kit’s shoulders. He leaned down to kiss him, his lips soft and inviting. Kit sighed and let his lips part-

And pulled back, sputtering. “I can’t believe you just kissed me after kissing your cat!”

“I thought that’s what you wanted!”

“Nope,” said Kit, sliding his arms around Ty’s waist and pulling him in close. “You have to choose between us. Me or the lynx.”

“Irene wouldn’t make me choose,” he pouted.

“Well, Irene doesn’t care what your kisses taste like.” He disproved his point somewhat by pressing a kiss to Ty’s cheek. “No more cat hair in my mouth. That’s my limit.”

Ty heaved a dramatic sigh. “Fine. I guess Irene will survive.”

“That’s the spirit.”

And then they were smiling into a kiss, cat hair be damned, and Ty’s hands travelled up his neck to bury themselves in his hair. Kit still couldn’t quite believe he was allowed to do this, allowed to kiss Ty whenever he felt like it, and that Ty actually wanted this just as much as he did.

“What is it?” Ty pulled back, still smiling.

“I’m just happy,” he replied, his mouth moving to the underside of Ty’s jaw. There were advantages to being the shorter one.

“Good,” said Ty. “‘Cause I am too.”

“God, we’re so cheesy.”

Ty hummed in agreement. Kit felt it against his lips, and moved further down, remembering the list he had made this morning during training. Maybe he would get to work through it sooner than he’d realized.

Unfortunately, his plans were foiled by Irene, who apparently decided that she had been ignored for long enough and began meowing pitifully, leaning against their legs. Kit sighed dramatically and looked up at the ceiling.

Ty ducked down to comfort his pet.

“Choosing her again,” he teased. “You’re spoiling her.”

“She misses me.”

“So do I!”

Ty ignored him.

“I think we should try introducing them,” he said, now cross-legged on the floor with Irene in his lap. “Her and Simon.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Just give them a chance to get along!”

“If your cat eats my rabbit,” he said, “I will be extremely upset.”

“She’s not much of a hunter,” Ty argued. “She gets her food from me. It might not even cross her mind that she can eat Simon.”

Kit still was not convinced.

“Come on,” Ty continued, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “We’ll take them outside so they’re on neutral ground. I’ll make sure she eats beforehand. And we’ll watch them.”

Eventually, Kit relented, and Ty took his lynx downstairs to the fridge while Kit went to grab the rabbit.

Simon had grown a lot since they had first rescued him as a baby, so much so that Kit now needed to use two hands to pick him up. He was still just as cute, though, and fit perfectly into the crook of Kit’s elbow.

“I’m sorry for what’s about to happen,” he told his pet. “I promise I won’t let that mean old cat hurt you, okay?”

It was entirely possible the rabbit would never trust him again after this, he thought. The sacrifices he made for love.

Ty and Irene were already sitting in the grass when they stepped outside. As soon as they got close, the rabbit scrambled up onto Kit’s shoulder. Kit grabbed him.

“See? He knows what cats are like.”

Ty had his arms around Irene, who seemed positively bored.

Cautiously, and with Ty’s encouragement, Kit sat down across from him and placed the bunny in his lap. Simon was trembling. Irene was looking at him curiously.

“She’s going to eat him.”

“She’s not!”

As if to prove Ty’s point, Irene reached out and swatted the rabbit on the head, then withdrew. Simon scrambled up Kit’s chest.

“Oof. See? He’s terrified.”

“They just need to get used to each other!”

And so they stayed outside, Irene in Ty’s lap and Simon in Kit’s, the two boys talking over their heads. Gradually, Simon stopped trembling and trying to run away, and Irene stopped doing things to scare him, until eventually they were able to put the rabbit on the lynx’s back, and both pets seemed completely okay with it. Kit snapped a picture. Ty was extremely smug.

“I told you!”

“Alright, I get it. Maybe your lynx isn’t so bad after all.” He typed out a text to Jem: _Ty has succeeded where you failed so miserably_ , and sent the picture.

The rabbit hopped into Kit’s lap, and Ty wrapped his arms around his lynx.

“You hear that, Irene? My boyfriend approves of you.”

 _Boyfriend_. It was the first time they’d used that word, and it sent butterflies into Kit's stomach and a smile onto his face. Ty gave him a weird look.

“What?”

“Boyfriend?”

Ty frowned. “Isn’t that what we are?”

“Yeah.” Kit couldn’t stop smiling. “Yeah, definitely.”

He wished he could lean over and kiss Ty, but they were outside, and anyone could see them, so he settled for a sappy smile.

His phone buzzed. Jem replying to his picture: _tell him to teach me his ways!!!_

Kit laughed.

“Jem is impressed. He’s been trying to keep Church from eating this little guy for months.” The rabbit was out of his lap now, happily nibbling on a leaf without a care in the world. Kit was clearly much more concerned about Irene than his pet was.

“I’ll have to try my hand at it next time I’m there.”

“Good luck.”

Would he ever reach a point where he could handle this? Just Ty talking so casually about spending time with Kit’s family made him absolutely giddy with joy. It was embarrassing. He wasn’t used to it.

“Ty!”

Tavvy had appeared at the foot of the Institute’s steps, and was now running across the lawn to join them. Simon jumped out the way, and Kit just barely managed to catch him. So he could handle a lynx, but not a nine-year-old boy? Kit would never understand him.

Ty was apparently needed in Tavvy’s room for some very important project, and since he didn’t have a legitimate excuse to get out of it, he obliged, taking Irene with him. Kit laid back in the grass and stared up at the darkening sky.

He was still floating on some cloud of happiness. Everything had happened so quickly. He could still hardly believe it was real. He almost expected to wake up at some point and find out it had all been a wonderful dream. There was no way Ty had actually kissed him, actually wanted to kiss him again (presumably), wanted to be his _boyfriend_. It was mind-boggling.

Only a few months ago, this would have been unthinkable. A few days ago, he had been wondering if he had misinterpreted everything between himself and Ty. And now Ty was his boyfriend.

His rabbit was nibbling on his hair. He reached up and put the little guy on his chest, so that he could start nibbling on his shirt instead. This was another thing he could hardly believe he had once lived without. He loved this rabbit with all his heart. To think, he had once tried to convince Ty to abandon him.

He pulled out his phone, and was unsurprised to find a text from Tessa.

_How’s LA?_

He bit back a smile. Wouldn’t Tessa like to know? They had barely talked since he had left Devon, and Kit knew just how much restraint she was showing by refraining from calling him every hour to ask about the situation with Ty.

 _Really, really good_ , he typed back, knowing exactly how she would interpret it. _I’m glad I went._

 _Miss u tho_ , he added hurriedly. _Obviously_.

She responded immediately.

 _I’m sure you do...  
_ _And what about Ty???_

He grinned. Not beating around the bush anymore, then.

_He misses you too_

_You know what I meant!!!!_

He laughed. He was having fun toying with Tessa’s emotions, especially knowing the news he was about to drop on her.

 _I know exactly what you meant ;)  
_ _You’re asking if my boyfriend, Tiberius Blackthorn, misses you  
_ _He does_

Damn. The word felt just as amazing in writing.

Tessa’s response came almost immediately.

 _Kit!!!  
_ _This is amazing news  
_ _I’m so, so, so happy for both of you  
_ _I really hope it works out_

 _Thanks :)_ Kit sent in response, then put his phone down. It was exhilarating, actually telling someone. Tessa was now the only person other than himself and Ty - and probably Jem, since there’s no way she would keep this from him - who knew that Kit and Ty were dating. It made it more real. Somebody actually _knew_.

The sun was starting to set, streaks of orange and pink splitting the blue of the sky and lighting up the clouds. The rabbit was getting increasingly agitated, digging into the ground next to Kit and gnawing very aggressively on the grass. When he bit Kit in the arm, Kit got the message.

“Okay, okay, we’re going! Come on, you little shit.”

He scooped up his pet and carried him back into the Institute.

* * *

He didn’t get the chance to kiss Ty again until that night, when he was nestled under the covers and Ty slipped in beside him and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Hey, you,” Kit mumbled in response.

“Missed you.”

Kit grinned. “We’re pathetic.”

“The worst.”

And then there was no more need for words, because they were kissing for real now, and Kit was pushing his boyfriend back against the pillows and slowly rolling over to straddle him. Their kisses were slow and lingering, both of them savouring the steady glide of mouths and tongues.

“This okay?” he whispered against Ty’s lips.

“Definitely.”

Heat coiled at the bottom of his stomach. He nipped at Ty’s lip, reveling in the tiny gasp that escaped the other boy's mouth. Here in the dark, he could feel every brush of skin against skin, hear every little noise between them. It was way too much and not nearly enough at the same time.

Ty’s hands, which never stopped moving, were mapping the skin under his shirt, tracing slow circles on his back, moving up to his shoulder blades and then back down along his spine all the way to his waist. Kit’s elbows were starting to hurt from holding his weight up, but he couldn’t lower himself down, not now, and he’d sooner die than stop kissing Ty.

Ty tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and _oh_ , he was definitely getting better at this. Kit had kissed so many people during his life, but it had never felt like _this_ , never made him wish he could keep doing this forever and never, ever stop. He was utterly lost in Ty, in the feel and the sound and the smell of him, so much so that it almost hurt when the other boy pulled back to look him in the eyes.

It was so rare that Ty held eye contact. Whenever he did it, Kit knew it was for his benefit - to convey the seriousness of what he wanted to say.

Ty’s hands were playing with his hair, now, his fingers winding themselves through the curls. He looked up at Kit through long, dark eyelashes, and Kit thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.

“I love you,” he said, his hand moving down to cup Kit’s jaw. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” Kit smiled down at him. “I know.”

He leaned down to kiss Ty’s jaw, his neck, his collarbone. He pressed his face against Ty and savoured the feeling of being here, in this moment, with his _boyfriend_ , his boyfriend who _loved him_. He had spent too much time thinking he would never be allowed to have this, would never deserve this. It was nothing less than a miracle.

“And I love you, too,” he said against Ty’s neck. “Obviously.”

The other boy pulled him back up to his mouth.

“I know,” he whispered, and kissed him.


	20. Chapter 20

Kit was on his way out of Ty’s room and back down the hall to his own, doing the same thing he did every morning, when he realized he had made a fatal mistake.

“I _knew_ it.”

Dru was leaning against the wall across from Ty’s room, arms crossed and a smug expression on her face.

Kit was usually a lot more careful when leaving Ty’s room in the mornings. He was always sure to listen at the door for a little while, then check to make sure the coast was clear before stepping out. Today, however, he had been so deliriously happy that being caught had been the absolute last thing on his mind.

Last night, he and Ty had spent hours lazily making out until Irene had decided she had been ignored for long enough and leapt up onto the bed, proving, in Kit’s opinion, her evil nature. He had complained, and loudly, until Ty had put his hand over Kit’s mouth in an attempt to shut him up and Kit had given him a seductive look and made an inappropriate joke that had gone right over Ty’s head.

“Tolerate my pet lynx or get out of my bed,” Ty had said.

“You and I both know you’ll never follow through with that,” Kit had responded, leaning in for a kiss that was denied.

Ty had stubbornly turned away from Kit and refused to touch him until Kit had apologized, laughing, and knowing perfectly well that they would have ended up cuddling anyway.

They had kissed some more in the morning, until things had gotten a little too heated and they had had to hit pause until Kit could have a very long, very hot shower. He had stepped out to find Ty red-faced and unable to look at him, already fully dressed with his pyjamas nowhere to be seen, and hurried out of the room.

He had been so quick to leave that, apparently, he hadn’t even noticed Dru waiting for him in the hallway.

“Fucking hell,” he cursed, looking up at the ceiling. “How long have you been there?”

“How long _could_ I have been out here without seeing you?” she inquired. “An hour? Two hours? All night, maybe?”

The smirk on her face said it all. He had been caught.

“Can we _please_ not talk about this here?” he asked, looking up and down the hallway for any sign of Julian or, really, any other resident of the Institute. Mostly Julian, though.

Dru shrugged. “Sure. Where do you want to go to talk about the fact that you’re sleeping with my brother?”

He looked around hurriedly, then grabbed her by the arm and marched her down the hallway. “It’s not _like_ that,” he hissed, his face heating up.

“Well, that’s not what it sounded like.”

Kit almost tripped over his own feet. “You were _listening_?”

She smiled triumphantly. “No, but you just admitted there was something I could have heard. Which, by the way, I did _not_ need to know.”

“You’re the one who brought it up!” he sputtered, swinging open the door to his room and ushering her inside.

“Why would I want to listen anyways? I don’t want to hear you doing...” she waved her hand in his direction “unspeakable things to my brother”

 _“To_ him? _”_

“Wow. Okay. Bad mental image. Nope. Did not need to think about that.”

“You’re the one who brought it up!” he said again, then groaned and put his head in his hands. “It’s not what you think.”

“Really?” Her voice dripped sarcasm. “‘Cause it sure doesn’t look like you use this room very much.”

She was walking around, taking in the suitcase that had barely been opened, the thin layer of lynx hair that now covered much of his furniture, the bed that clearly hadn’t been slept on except by the cat. 

“Why are you doing this?” he whined.

Dru shrugged. “Guess I’m just curious. You guys have been acting weird around each other, and Ty won’t talk to me about it. After yesterday, I knew something was up.”

“Well, we’re not- I mean, we haven’t-” he sighed in frustration. “We’re just sharing a bed. Nothing else.”

She did not look convinced.

“Maybe a bit more than that,” he grumbled. “But it’s really new, and we’re not telling anyone because…” he trailed off.

“Because Julian already hates you, and if he knew about this he wouldn’t let you within five feet of Ty?” she supplied.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“So what you’re saying is that I have some _major_ blackmail material right now.”

He glared at her. She grinned.

“I hate you.”

“Careful,” she teased. “I could walk right down the hall and tell Julian exactly where you’ve been sleeping every night.”

“You wouldn’t.”

She shrugged. “Probably not. Mostly because I like you and I want things to work out between you and Ty. But you do know that if you hurt him again, the entire Blackthorn family will come down on you, right?”

“I’m not going to hurt him again.”

“You’d better not,” she said sweetly. “Because you and I both know Julian is not above murder where his family is concerned.”

Kit shivered. Julian was like one of those dads you saw on social media pointing guns at their daughter’s boyfriend’s head as a joke, except that Julian actually had the ability to carry through with his threats.

“Yeah. I know.”

“Well!” She clapped her hands together, after a moment’s pause. “Great talk. Super happy for you two. I’m going to go eat now.”

And with that, she swept out the room, leaving Kit to begin the difficult task of locating clean clothes.

* * *

Dru continued to be annoyingly smug all throughout the day, to the point where Kit had to continuously glare at her from across rooms, as she came a little too close to outing them on several occasions. At one point during training, he and Ty stood a little too close together and Dru giggled about it so much that Ty noticed.

“What’s going on?” he asked, thankfully too quietly for anyone else to hear.

“She caught me leaving your room this morning,” he said under his breath, making sure nobody else could hear. “She knows.”

“Oh.” He didn’t seem at all concerned. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah, just make sure it doesn’t get back to Julian.”

He knew that Julian would have to find out about this eventually. It’s not like they could hide it from him forever. He also had no intention of breaking up with Ty any time soon, so it’s not like he was waiting for things to get more serious. They were plenty serious already.

He was just waiting for Julian to warm up to him a little bit.

Kit was well aware that he and Julian had started off on the wrong foot. Kit had first shown up at the Los Angeles institute as a mouthy criminal who hated Shadowhunters and wanted nothing to do with the Blackthorn family. It also didn’t help that he had befriended Ty and then abandoned him without even saying goodbye, causing him more pain than Kit himself had even realized at the time. Julian didn’t seem to hate Kit quite as much now as he had a few months ago, but he was still the only person living in the Institute who didn’t seem to have forgiven Kit for leaving.

Kit had to win him over.

Over the next week, he threw himself into this new project. He was excessively nice to all the Blackthorns, and every time he was in Julian’s general vicinity, he became the very image of politeness. He even offered to help out with household chores that Jem and Tessa could barely convince him to do back home. Everyone noticed, including Julian, and people frequently asked him if everything was okay.

Meanwhile, he and Ty continued to sneak around, with Dru shooting them a knowing look every time she caught them leaving a room together. Kit soon found that he didn’t actually mind.

In their downtime, they started watching Sherlock on BBC.

Ty still wasn’t totally sold on the show, but Kit argued that it was only fair that they watch it together, considering how much time they had spent reading the books. They were watching it now, cuddling on one of the sofas in the library, Kit’s laptop set up on a coffee table in front of them. Ty’s hands were mindlessly carding themselves through Kit’s hair.

“See?” Kit said, pointing at the screen. “They’re gay, I’m telling you!”

“There was nothing gay about that line.”

“ _Everything_ about that line was gay.”

Ty shook his head and pressed a kiss to the top of Kit’s head. “Whatever you say.”

Kit knew his boyfriend was making fun of him, but he dropped the subject. If Ty didn’t believe Sherlock and Watson’s love, then that was his loss.

After a few moments of silence, Ty pressed his lips to Kit’s forehead.

“It would be cool if they were in love,” he admitted.

“Right?” he smiled up at him, and leaned in for a kiss.

It was risky, of course. Anyone could walk into the library at any moment and see them. But kissing Ty was pretty much Kit’s favourite thing to do, and he could only hold back for so long. Besides, Kit kind of loved the thrill of having to hide.

“Anyone could walk in,” Ty murmured, as if reading his mind. 

Kit smiled against his lips. “Worth it.”

Ty giggled, but pulled back. Reluctantly, Kit turned his attention back to the show.

They finished their episode, and watched two more after that, Ty pointing out inaccuracies and Kit countering his points with reasons why the show was better. When they’d had enough of watching the show, Kit closed his laptop and stretched his arms over his head, blushing when he caught Ty staring at the exposed skin of his stomach.

He sank back against the couch and smiled up at his boyfriend. They’d been dating for over a week now, and he still couldn’t quite believe it was real. There was no way it was possible to be this happy. No way _Kit_ was allowed to be this happy.

Ty smiled back at him and threaded their fingers together, and they talked about the show and about their plans for the day, because they had nowhere else to be and nothing else they’d rather do.

During a lull in conversation, Ty turned to him suddenly and said, completely out of nowhere, “remember that time you kissed Livvy?”

Kit laughed, taken aback. “You remember that?”

“Believe me, I’ve tried to forget,” he said darkly. Kit grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Awww, is someone jealous?”

“Horrified, more like,” he replied, pulling away from Kit. “You never told me why you did that.”

Kit shrugged. “She was hot,” he teased, and laughed at Ty’s horrified expression.

“She was fifteen!” he exclaimed. 

“So was I!”

“Well, she was my sister!”

“I thought your whole family was hot!”

“That doesn’t make it any better!”

Ty's eyes were wide, his expression absolutely horrified. Kit was enjoying himself immensely. “Your whole family _is_ hot,” he said, just to get a rise out of the other boy. “You Blackthorns have great genes.”

Ty looked like he was regretting every single one of his life choices.

“What?” said Kit. “You don’t like picturing me kissing your twin sister?” he leaned in. “Do you even know how many times it happened?”

Ty choked. “It happened _once_ ,” he said, “and for the record, she did _not_ like you that way.”

Kit hummed. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

Kit grinned. “Were you guys fighting over me back then? Or bonding over my hotness? Just sitting around talking about how badly you both wanted to make out with me?”

The corner of Ty’s mouth tilted up. “What makes you think I was into you back then?”

It was Kit’s turn to be offended. “Did you _see_ me?”

“Yeah,” said Ty, playing with Kit’s hand. “You were like… a shorter, scrawnier version of Jace, but with none of the fighting skills or the confidence. And you hated everyone.”

Kit stared at him, utterly speechless. Ty smiled triumphantly.

“ _Excuse_ me?”

Ty giggled. “I’m just being honest.”

“I think that’s the most insulting thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I said you look like _Jace_ ,” said Ty, pushing him back so he was lying down on the couch, and crawling up to his eye level. “That’s not an insult.”

“And now you have a thing for _Jace_?”

“ _Everyone_ has a thing for Jace,” Ty argued, and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “He’s objectively attractive. And you look just like him.”

“Is this payback?” said Kit, as his boyfriend started trailing kisses down his neck. “For calling Livvy hot? Because I take it back.”

“Maybe,” Ty admitted, and kissed the corner of his mouth. “But it’s still not the same.”

“I said your whole family is hot, including your twin sister,” said Kit, running his hands up Ty’s arms. “You said I’m basically Jace, but worse in every single way. I think _you_ owe _me_ an apology.”

Ty laughed and shook his head. Instead of answering, he tilted his head and kissed Kit on the lips, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Kit enjoyed it for all of thirty seconds before he couldn’t resist the urge to tease him more.

“You know,” he said against Ty’s mouth, “every time you kiss me, it’s kind of like you’re kissing your sister. Because I kissed your sister.”

Ty let out an exasperated sigh, his eyes still closed. “That is _not_ how it works.”

Kit laughed, then he pulled his boyfriend down for another kiss, and Ty didn’t seem to mind.

Ty was _definitely_ getting the hang of this kissing thing. A week of practice had made him confident and skilled and Kit couldn’t help the little gasps sighs that escaped him as Ty worked absolute _magic_ with his lips and his tongue and his teeth. Kit’s hands traveled down his back, mapping the hard lines of muscle that he could feel through Ty’s shirt.

Ty lowered himself down so he was lying on top of Kit, their bodies pressed together from their mouths all the way down to their knees. They were both hard, and that knowledge only worsened the situation. They hadn’t gone further than kissing and touching over their clothes - even _this_ was still pretty new - and sometimes Kit thought he would combust with how badly he wanted to do more.

He wound his hands into Ty’s hair and deepened the kiss, winding the leg that wasn’t pinned against the back of the couch around Ty’s hip and pressing him closer.

Ty gasped and his hips jerked down against Kit. His kisses were getting sloppier, less coordinated, and he was breathing hard. Kit didn’t know how they had gone from teasing to _this_ , but he was very glad. He pulled one hand out of Ty’s hair so he could trail it down the other boy’s chest, down between their bodies until he reached the waistband of his-

“Oh my GOD you two!”

Ty leapt off him and fell right off the couch. Kit scrambled into a sitting position, hugging his knees to his chest. Dru was standing in the doorway, and he couldn’t figure out if she was more horrified or delighted to have found them in such a compromising position.

“REALLY? On the COUCH?”

Alright. Definitely more horrified.

“We were just kissing!” Ty squeaked from the floor, and although that may technically be true, his point was somewhat undermined by the fact that his face was bright red, his hair was sticking up all over the place, and his knees were strategically bent.

Dru shook her head. “You guys are _so_ lucky it was me.”

She turned to leave.

“Didn’t you come in here for something?” Kit called after her.

“Changed my mind!” she yelled back. “I need to go pour bleach into my eyes!”

The door banged shut. Ty turned to look at him, his eyes wide. “She’s not really going to do that, is she?”

Kit managed a nervous laugh. “It’s just an expression,” he explained. “She wishes she could unsee… that.”

“Well, bleach won’t help her.”

He smiled. “I know. It’s just an expression.”

Ty met his eyes, and then they were laughing, because they had definitely gotten carried away and they really were lucky it was Dru that had walked in on them and not someone else.

The door creaked open. Emma poked her head into the room.

“Everything okay?” she asked. “I heard yelling.”

“It’s fine!” said Kit, a bit too quickly. “It was just Dru.”

“Oh.” Emma frowned. “As long as you guys sorted it out.”

She left without looking at them too closely, thank goodness. They would not be able to keep this a secret for long.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sexual content in this chapter!

“See? I wasn’t kidding about them getting along!”

Kit was sitting on Ty’s bedroom floor, his two pets crawling over him, as Tessa’s laughter filled the room. He scooped up the rabbit with one hand and held him up to the phone camera.

“Poor little guy has to put up with so many cats. I don’t know how he even sleeps at night.”

“He’s a braver soul than you and I.”

“No kidding.”

Still holding his rabbit, he stood up and moved over to the bed.

“So,” he said, settling back against the headboard. “I told you what’s happening here, but what about you guys?”

Tessa launched into an account of all the books they’d been reading now that Kit wasn’t around to recommend movies - apparently even Mina had betrayed him by constantly walking around with a picture book and demanding that Jem or Tessa read to her.

“But she’s watching movies too, right? Please tell me you’re making your way through that list I gave you.”

“She doesn’t need to rot her brain by staring at screens all day!”

“It’s an important cultural education!”

“It can wait!” The camera angle shifted as Tessa stood up and walked through the house, calling for Jem.

“I’m talking to Kit,” she explained.

“One of those video calls?” Jem’s voice.

“Yes, come say hi.”

Kit laughed as Jem appeared in the frame. He was very new to modern technology, and quite enamoured with it; he grinned at the camera and waved enthusiastically.

“Hi, Kit!”

“Hey, Jem.”

“Is that Simon I see in your lap? By the angel, I’ve missed him.”

It was unclear whether or not the rabbit actually recognized Jem, as he sat mostly motionless as Kit pet him, getting fur all over his side of the bed. At least Kit knew for sure that Ty wouldn’t mind.

Jem fawned over the bunny for a little while, taking Tessa’s phone from her and walking back over to the couch as he talked to his second favourite pet. Eventually, conversation veered back toward what they were getting up to in Devon, and Kit stopped listening because he was completely distracted by his boyfriend entering the room.

Ty was dressed in simple shorts and a t-shirt, headphones over his ears. Irene ran up to him as soon as he walked through the door, and Ty crouched down to scratch her between the ears. He took off the headphones. Irene ran over to the door and started meowing, clearly asking to be let outside. She was doing this more and more often these days, and Kit didn’t know if he was the reason or not, but either way, he was happy about it. Ty opened the door and she darted outside.

“Am I interrupting?” Ty asked, unplugging his headphones and setting them down on a shelf, along with his phone.

“Not at all.” Kit knew he was smiling stupidly, but that’s just what Ty did to him. “You can come say hi.”

“Oh, no,” came Tessa’s voice in his phone, diverting his attention back to the call.

“What?” He couldn’t see Tessa’s face on the screen, but Jem looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“That’s a familiar look, isn’t it?” Jem teased.

“It’s happening again,” Tessa agreed.

“What’s happening again?” Kit reached out for Ty as the other boy settled in beside him and waved at the camera.

The angle shifted so that both Jem and Tessa were visible. They both waved back.

“Hello, Tiberius,” said Tessa. “We’ve heard so much about you lately.”

Kit realized, belatedly, that inviting Ty into this conversation might have been a terrible idea. While Kit had spoken to Jem and Tessa a handful of times in the weeks since they had started dating, Ty had never been around during those conversations, so this was the Carstairs’ first opportunity to embarrass Kit in front of him.

“Ty, blink twice if you need us to rescue you,” said Jem.

“What?”

“Have you had a moment alone since he showed up?” Tessa asked with false concern. “We can talk to him about giving you space.”

“I’m not sure I’m following.” Ty looked utterly bewildered. They did not relent.

“How many dramatic speeches do you have to hear every day?”

“Has he tried to push you away for your own good?”

Ty turned to look at Kit, clearly confused about what was happening. Thankfully, Kit had heard enough about the Herondales to finally catch on.

“Ignore them,” he said, glaring at his parents through his phone. “They’re bullying me about my last name.”

“We’re just looking out for your well-being, Tiberius,” said Jem, deadly serious.

“Dating a Herondale can be a very overwhelming experience,” Tessa agreed.

“Don’t listen to them,” Kit insisted.

Ty shifted closer to Kit and put his head down on his shoulder. “Well, dating Kit is great,” he announced, and Kit put his arm around him.

Jem and Tessa continued to tease them for a bit, but Kit could tell they were happy for them. At some point, the rabbit started to get agitated, and Ty had to get up to put him in his cage, much to Jem’s disappointment. After that, Mina stole the show, literally, grabbing the phone and running off into another room to talk to her big brother about all the new books her mom had just bought her. When she got distracted and ran off, leaving the phone face down on the floor, Kit hung up and put his own phone away.  
  
“She’s adorable,” Ty commented, playing absently with the hem of Kit’s shirt.

“Yeah,” he agreed, and rested his cheek against the top of Ty’s head. “Sorry about the other two.”

“Don’t be,” Ty laughed. “I didn’t realize dating a Herondale was such a big deal.”

His fingers slipped under Kit’s shirt to press against his abdomen. It never failed to amaze Kit, how much Ty seemed to crave physical contact when they were together. All the Blackthorns knew that Ty didn’t like to be hugged, or touched in any capacity, by anyone. Only a select few people even got to ruffle his hair. Kit himself always made sure to ask before touching him.

But Kit seemed to be the exception to the rule. Ty was almost always the one to initiate physical contact between them, putting his arms around Kit or resting his head on Kit’s chest. He seemed fascinated by little things: the texture of Kit’s hair between his fingers, Kit’s cheek under his lips, the skin under Kit’s shirt. Kit was learning that when Ty did this, it wasn’t always because he was trying to initiate something. He just liked to touch.

It was, however, sometimes very hard to hold back from grabbing his face and kissing him until neither of them could remember their own names.

“Apparently Herondales have been known to be a bit dramatic,” he said, his voice embarrassingly hoarse.

Ty’s hand was still under his shirt, fingers splayed out over this stomach. Kit was still a bit self-conscious about this part of his body - he didn’t have even the slightest hint of abs - but if Ty noticed or minded, he had never mentioned it.

“A bit?” he teased.

“Shut up.”

In one graceful motion, Ty moved to sit in Kit’s lap, straddling his hips. His hands pulled out of Kit’s shirt and moved up to his shoulders. Their faces were mere inches apart.

“Is running away for two years without saying goodbye a Herondale thing?” The teasing note was almost gone from his voice now. His hands were moving over Kit’s shoulders, stroking his collarbone, the planes of his back, over the thin fabric of his shirt. Heat coiled in Kit’s stomach. He reached up to grab Ty’s waist.

“I think that falls under ‘dramatics’”

Ty’s lips quirked up at the corners. “What am I getting myself into?”

Kit’s hands moved down, over Ty’s hips to settle on his thighs where they were straddling him. He looked up to where Ty was staring at him, openly, with an intensity that made his breath hitch and his fingers dig into the soft flesh of Ty’s thighs.

Ty’s eyes were half-closed, those long, curved lashes casting shadows over his face. His hair was getting a bit too long - it reached just below his eyebrows and sometimes got in his eyes. He was clean-shaven as always, but Kit knew that if he grazed his lips along Ty’s jaw, it would be scratchy with the slightest hint of stubble. He took in the high cheekbones and red lips and expressive eyebrows that made up Ty’s face, and thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.

He gave in to the urge to move closer, pressing his mouth to the corner of Ty’s lips, then to his cheeks, his jaw, and further down to his neck. He reveled in the way he could _feel_ the change in Ty’s breathing, Ty’s heart rate, as he pressed a trail of hot kisses to the sensitive skin there. He didn’t even care if he was leaving a mark.

“Well,” he rasped in between kisses, “you _definitely_ don’t have to worry about me ever falling out of love with you.”

He felt Ty shiver. “Really?”

“Yeah.” His kisses were getting slower now, wetter, as he sucked at the skin of Ty’s neck. “Herondales only love once. You should know that.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Kit smiled against his skin. “You’ll just have to put up with me being a little bit obsessed with you.”

Ty laughed shakily, his hands tightening their grip on Kit’s t-shirt. His hips dug into Kit’s, and Kit could feel how much this was affecting him.

His mouth had reached Ty’s collarbone now, and he bit at the skin there, as his hands moved up and down Ty’s thighs. Ty gasped and moved closer, pressing their bodies together.

“The first time I met you,” Kit whispered, his fingers practically aching with the effort to keep from digging further into Ty’s skin, “you were holding a knife to my throat, and all I could think about was how beautiful you were.” He tasted metal as his lips brushed the Herondale pendant. His kisses were less coordinated, less controlled now, as he licked and sucked and bit at Ty’s neck.

“I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with you,” he said, “but I know I loved you every day we were apart.” His hands moved back up, over the swell of Ty’s ass and under his shirt, pressing him closer even though that was pretty much impossible at his point.

He pulled back and looked up at Ty, who leaned down to rest his forehead against Kit’s, his lips tantalizingly close.

Kit swallowed.

“You’re it,” he breathed. “You’re-” he broke off with a shaky laugh. “I’m never going to love anyone else like this. You don’t have to feel the same way, but I need you to know that.”

The words still didn’t come easily to him. He was much more comfortable deflecting with jokes and pretending not to take anything seriously, and he was pretty sure Ty had figured that out by now, but it felt very important in this moment that he leave no room for misinterpretation or doubt as to the depth of his feelings.

Ty deserved to know.

And the thing is, as much as he felt exposed after a confession of that magnitude, he also felt safe in this room and this bed with his boyfriend who loved him in a way that Kit was still struggling to believe he was worthy of.

“Tessa wasn’t kidding about the speeches.”

Ty’s voice was low and hoarse, his nails digging into Kit’s shoulder, and Kit couldn’t wait any longer. He closed the distance between them.

Their mouths collided. This kiss was nothing like their other kisses, not even like the ones that had happened in this bed. This was tongues and teeth and _heat_ , each of them gasping into the other’s mouth. This was urgency and hunger. This kiss promised more.

Ty reached down to pull Kit’s shirt up to his shoulders. Kit broke the kiss just to take the stupid thing off and toss it across the room. Ty’s hands were all over his body, his mouth hot against Kit’s. His shirt soon joined Kit’s on the floor.

Kit joined their mouths together again, his hands roaming over Ty’s chest, mapping the planes of hard muscle in front of him. Ty’s hips dug into this, and it was almost too much but in the best possible way. Ty pushed him back against the pillows, still kissing him.

He reached up to wind his fingers through Ty’s hair, and felt the other boy gasp. Their bodies were pressed together, bare skin against bare skin. Kit grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders and flipped them over so he was on top, settling in between Ty’s legs. Even though layers of fabric, the feeling of their hips pressed together, Ty grabbing his ass and pulling him closer to create just the slightest bit of friction, almost sent him over the edge.

He broke away just to catch his breath, and felt Ty’s mouth move to his jaw, trailing hot, desperate kisses all the way down to his neck. Ty’s hands were roaming unashamedly over his torso, tracing the silvery scars of old runes as his own chest rose and fell underneath Kit’s and his mouth continued to work magic at his neck. Kit ducked down to kiss him again with a muffled moan, and bit down, hard, on the other boy’s lip.

Ty’s hands travelled further south, to run along the waistband of his jeans, the tips of his fingers just barely dipping under the material. They reached the buckle of his belt, and stilled.

Ty pulled back. His cheeks were flushed, his breathing heavy.

“Can I?”

Kit nodded eagerly.

“Please.”

Ty looked down and, hesitantly, undid Kit’s belt, then the button of his jeans. He pushed them down, leaving his underwear on. Kit had to help him get them off all the way - they were very tight - and they were both smiling by the time they had been discarded and tossed onto the floor. Kit was in just his underwear now, and Ty was underneath him, staring at the place where the material left very little to the imagination. Kit leaned down to kiss his boyfriend, craving the reassurance of his lips as nerves started to coil at the base of his stomach.

This kiss was slow and gentle, all urgency gone now that it was _real_ , now that there was so little clothing in between them. Ty kept one hand at Kit’s waist while the other traced the line of his jaw, reaching up to comb through his hair. There was no rush, his kisses said. They had all the time in the world.

Kit found, very suddenly, that he didn’t want to wait any longer. He smiled against Ty’s mouth and pulled back.

“Your turn.”

Ty nodded, and swallowed. Kit sat up so he was straddling his boyfriend’s legs. He caught Ty staring, and blushed, looking down to where he had managed to unzip Ty’s pants. He pushed them down, Ty lifting his hips to make it easier. And then Ty was naked but for his underwear, and Kit was staring at him, and he wasn’t sure which part of his body was getting more blood, but he was absolutely _on fire_ and he was pretty sure his heat rate would never return to normal. Ty pulled him down, then, his tongue sliding into Kit’s mouth and his arms snaking over his shoulders, and they kissed and kissed and _kissed_ , until Kit couldn’t take it anymore and he ground his hips against Ty’s, eliciting a gasp from both of them.

“Kit,” Ty gasped against his mouth, his fingers travelling down to pull at the last bit of fabric between them. “Kit, can I-”

“Yes,” Kit interrupted, pulling away and looking down so he could watch their last remaining layers of clothing disappear. And then they were both naked, and he was looking at Ty, and he swallowed as he watched Ty’s fingers - those magical, magical fingers - travel down to wrap around the both of them.

This was _not_ going to last long.

He buried his face in Ty’s neck, whispering encouragement and praise as he ground his hips against Ty’s and listened to the noises the other boy was making and tried to make it last as long as possible so that Ty’s hands would never stop doing _that_.

And then he couldn’t form words - couldn’t even _think_ properly - as stars exploded across his vision and he collapsed against Ty, who followed right behind him.

He came back to himself and rolled off of Ty so they were lying on their backs. After a moment, he felt Ty shift onto his side, his arm sliding across Kit’s midsection as the rest of him - _all_ of him - pressed right up against Kit’s side.

Kit reached up to rub the other boy’s arm. He turned his head to look at him.

“Hey.” He knew he was smiling stupidly.

“Hey.” Ty pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Ty rolled over and out of bed so he could grab his discarded shirt and wipe them both down. It was gross, but Kit was much too lazy to get up and Ty seemed to be feeling the same way. Kit didn’t even think to open his eyes until the lights had been turned off and the room plunged into darkness.

He felt the bed dip as Ty returned, and then the covers were being pulled up from the foot of the bed and Ty’s very naked body was wrapping itself around him.

Kit smiled and rolled over so they were facing each other, and slid his knee between Ty’s, his arm over Ty’s waist. He felt the other boy sigh contentedly.

They talked, quietly, until they were too tired to keep their eyes open and their voices trailed off as they were pulled into sleep.

* * *

Waking up next to Ty would never get old. Waking up next to Ty while both of them were completely naked was by far the absolute best possible way to wake up.

“Morning.”

Ty’s arm was thrown over Kit’s side, and his thumb was tracing small circles on his back. He smiled when he saw that Kit was awake.

“Hey, you.”

Because he was allowed, and because Ty was doing the same thing, he let himself look. He looked at Ty’s bare chest and ran his hand down his side, down to the dip of his waist where the rest of him was frustratingly hidden under the covers, and resisted the urge to lift them up just to get a peek.

He pried his eyes back up to Ty’s face, and realized they had a problem.

“You might want to cover up those hickeys,” he said, reaching up to brush the darkening bruises on Ty’s neck. Clearly, he had not been nearly careful enough last night.

Thankfully, Ty didn’t seem upset.

“Maybe I won’t,” he teased.

“Maybe you’ll wake up tomorrow and your boyfriend will have been kicked out of the country and banned from ever seeing you again.”

“Or brutally murdered,” Ty supplied.

“Or that.”

“I’d get a bed to myself, though.”

“Hm.” Kit reached down to squeeze Ty’s ass, and smiled at the squeak of surprise it elicited. “Didn't sound like you wanted a bed to yourself last night.”

“Shut up.”

They both laughed, and Kit rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Outside their door, he could hear voices echoing down the hallway. He decided they probably didn’t have that much time to get dressed and ready.

“I should probably go shower,” he said, and sat up.

Ty was staring at the place where the sheets bunched around his hips. “Okay.”

Kit blushed. He wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing and was going to have to get up with nothing covering him. It wasn’t that he minded - he _definitely_ didn’t - but it still kind of blew his mind that Ty might actually want to look.

“You’re going to stare at my ass, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Perv.”

“You’d do the same.”

Kit couldn't deny that, so he swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked over to the shower, his face burning all the while.

He had just turned on the water when he heard footsteps outside the bathroom door.

“Kit?”

He wasn’t going to turn around. He wasn’t going to look. He kept his eyes focused on the tile in front of him.

“Yeah?”

Ty hesitated. Kit was keenly aware of his presence only a few feet behind him.

“So the thing is, I’m kind of sticky and gross and could really use a shower, too.”

“Oh.” The water was definitely hot enough now, but he didn’t move to step into the shower. He didn’t turn around, either, as much as he wanted to.

“Can I join you?”

He nodded, and then, at last, he turned around, and let himself look. He had seen it all last night, of course, but his mind had been foggy with emotion. Now, he just looked, and Ty did the same.

Ty stepped closer, and took his hand.

“Should we get in?”

“Yeah. Yeah, definitely.”

They stepped under the water, and it soon became clear that this shower was _not_ meant for two people, but they made it work, giggling as they took turns standing under the spray and rubbing soap over the other person’s body - if only Kit could start _every_ morning running his hands over Ty’s naked body, he thought - until they were both clean and Kit reached up to pull the other boy down into a kiss.

* * *

The hickeys were proving to be a bit of a problem.

Kit had really done a number on Ty’s neck, and while healing runes might have done the trick if either of them had had the forethought of apply them last night, there was only so much they could do now. Kit managed to make the bruises fade a little, but they were definitely still visible, even over the high-collared shirt Ty picked out. He briefly considered going down the hall and asking Dru for makeup, but the thought of explaining exactly why he needed it was enough to deter him.

And besides, it wasn’t _that_ bad.

Anyone would have to look at him pretty closely in order to notice, and Ty’s headphones covered the bruises almost completely when they were around his neck. It was risky, but surely they could pull it off.

Right?

They made their way downstairs separately, still careful not to attract suspicion. It was pancake day, so when Kit showed up in the kitchen, he found Julian working at the stove, Emma sitting on the counter beside him, eating a slightly burned pancake. They were both in pyjamas. Nobody else was up yet. Julian looked up when Kit walked into the room, and smiled.

“Morning, Kit.”

“Morning!” he replied, and sat down at the table. Julian and Emma must have been up early, because it was already set. His stomach grumbled as he inhaled the smell of pancakes frying on the stove. He would never, _ever_ get tired of Julian’s pancakes.

“Hungry?” Emma asked, and then, without warning, tossed him an apple. He caught it out of the air and set it down in front of his plate. He wasn’t going to eat an _apple_ when he was trying to save room in his stomach for as many pancakes as possible.

“He doesn’t want an _apple_ ,” said Julian, as if reading Kit’s thoughts. Emma shrugged.

It was then that Ty showed up, and Kit had to look away hurriedly in case his face betrayed anything. Why was this getting _worse_? Ty said hello to his brother and to Emma, then took a seat right next to Kit. Kit was extremely aware of his presence. He felt his face heating up.

Emma was looking curiously between then, still tearing off pieces of her burnt pancake and popping them into her mouth. Kit did not like that expression.

“Ty,” she said carefully, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What’s that on your neck?”

Kit froze. Ty’s hand went up instinctively to cover the hickeys that, yeah, weren’t quite as well covered as Kit remembered them being.

“Nothing,” he said too quickly.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” she said, still staring at the bruises on Ty’s neck.

“Did something happen?” Julian piped up, flipping over one of the pancakes. “You didn’t get hurt on patrol, did you?”

Ty cleared his throat. “Yeah. Just got hurt on patrol. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if Emma can see it from here,” said Julian, his voice laced with concern.

“You didn't even go on patrol last night,” Emma pointed out.

“Just drop it,” said Kit. “He said it’s nothing.”

Emma’s gaze turned to him. She took in his expression, her lips quirking up at the corners. Oh, she was definitely figuring it out.

Kit was _so_ screwed.

“Hey, Kit,” she said. “Any idea why Ty’s neck might be covered in bruises this morning?”

He ducked his head down, hoping it hid the blush rising on his cheeks. “No idea.”

Under the table, he felt Ty’s foot press against his.

“Kit.” His tone said it was time to come clean.

“Am I missing something?” said Julian, still completely oblivious.

Kit coughed. He looked at Ty, then at Emma, then at the back of Julian’s head. Better to do it now, he figured, then after other people had shown up.

“Those are hickeys,” he blurted out. “I put them there.”

Julian had been in the middle of spooning more batter into the pan. He dropped the measuring spoon, sending batter flying all over the stove and the counter.

“YOU WHAT?” he yelled, turning around to face them.

Kit winced. “Um.”

Julian was looking between the two of them, his mouth open in shock. He seemed completely incapable of speech. Beside him, Emma smirked.

Ty shrugged nonchalantly. “Surprised it took you this long to figure it out.”

Julian was still looking between them, his mouth opening and closing. “I… you…”

Behind him, the pancake batter was burning, smoke curling up from the stove. He didn’t seem to notice. Emma had finished her pancake and was now leaning back on her hands, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

“Um. Is this a bad time?”

Helen had just stepped into the room, Aline right behind her. They were both in pyjamas, their hair tangled around their shoulders. Helen took in the burning stove, Julian’s shocked expression, Emma’s smirk, Kit and Ty looking like they wanted to sink through the floor.

“Kit and Ty are sleeping together,” Emma announced cheerfully.

“We’re _dating_ ,” Kit corrected hurriedly. It was very important that he make that distinction.

Helen seemed more confused than anything as her eyes swept the room again, landing eventually on Julian.

“And this is… news?” she said carefully.

Julian seemed to find his voice then, staring incredulously at his older sister.

“You KNEW?”

Aline jumped into action, then, pushing past her wife to turn off the stove, which was now releasing a very concerning amount of smoke. The whole room was filling up. Kit coughed, and wondered if Institutes had smoke detectors. They must not, he reasoned, because Cirenworth Hall didn’t have any, or he would have set them off already.

“Oh, by the angel,” Aline said, taking the pan off the burner. “Kit’s been sleeping in Ty’s room as long as he’s been living here. It’s not that hard to figure out.”

“WHAT?”

So this was going about as well as expected.

Helen was still standing just inside the doorway, looking like a deer in headlights. Dru appeared behind her, then. She took in the scene in the kitchen, and her eyes met Kit’s.

“You told him?”

“Did everyone know about this except me?” Julian shouted, looking between all the occupants of the room.

“I didn’t!” said Emma.

“For the record,” Kit said diplomatically, “I didn’t think anyone knew except Dru.”

“I just figured _everyone_ knew,” Helen admitted quietly.

Julian’s face was bright red. He still looked like he was trying to process this information. Aline finished scraping the burnt pancake off the pan and turned to face him, hands on her hips.

“You people are ridiculous,” she announced. “You” - she pointed at Julian - “and _you_ ” - she pointed at Kit - “go talk this out somewhere else. I’ll take care of breakfast. I’m hungry.”

Julian nodded, and, with a glare directed at Kit, swept out of the room. Kit stood up slowly, apprehensive. Ty moved to follow, but Kit shook his head. He needed to have this talk with Julian.

 _Good luck_ , Dru mouthed at him as he followed Julian out of the kitchen down the hallway to the giant doors. They stepped outside, where they definitely wouldn’t be overheard

Julian whirled on him.

“What the _hell_ was that?”

Kit held up his hands defensively, and backed away. “Look. I know that might have been a bit of a shock for you-”

“A SHOCK?” He pulled at his hair. “You- you _left_. Ty thought you _hated_ him. You can’t just come back here and - and take advantage of him!”

“That’s not what this is,” Kit said quickly. “It’s not like that.”

“I won’t let you hurt him again.”

“I won’t,” Kit assured him. “And if I do, feel free to beat me up.”

Julian shook his head. “You don’t get it,” he said angrily. “Ty’s sensitive. He doesn’t-” he sighed in frustration. “-you can’t just... fool around with him for a bit then throw him aside. He’s not like that.”

Anger surged up in Kit. He straightened up.

“No, I don’t think _you_ get it.” Julian’s face hardened, but Kit pressed on. “You don’t know what we’ve been through. It’s not like you think.”

“You _left_.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Doesn’t feel that long ago.”

Julian still looked about ready to explode with anger. Kit sighed. “That was a misunderstanding. We’ve talked about it. It’s not going to happen again.”

“And why should I trust you?”

“Because I _love him,_ alright?” he shouted. “And he loves me, and maybe if you’d bothered to pay attention, you would have noticed that this is the happiest he’s been in _years_ , and you’re out here yelling at his boyfriend as if he’s not capable of making his own decisions about who he dates!”

He knew it was unfair, knew that Julian paid plenty of attention to Ty and had his own reasons for being overprotective, but he was tired. Tired of sneaking around because he knew Julian wouldn’t be okay with anyone dating his little brother, least of all someone like Kit. Tired of Julian treating him like he was a bad person when he had been scared and lonely and grieving the first time they’d met.

“And while we’re at it,” he continued, because he was on a roll and it was weirdly satisfying to yell at Julian, “did you notice that Ty just came out to you? And your response was to burn the kitchen down and come out here to yell at me?”

Julian looked completely taken aback. “I - he knows I don’t care about that.”

“Well, it was still shitty of you,” Kit said, and stormed back into the building.

Pancakes were being served when he returned to the kitchen and to his seat next to Ty. Everyone fell silent. Kit could feel all eyes on him.

“Well, he’s still alive,” said Dru. “Guess that’s a good sign!”

“Why wouldn’t he be alive?” asked Tavvy, who had thankfully missed the earlier drama. Nobody answered him.

Ty placed a hand on his thigh, and Kit smiled at him gratefully.

“It’s fine,” he whispered.

Julian walked in, then, still radiating energy. He ignored everyone’s stares and sat down across from Ty.

It was only after a few bites of pancake that he cleared his throat, and looked up at Ty.

“I’m happy for you,” he said, and it sounded forced. “And I’m sorry. Can we talk later?”

Ty looked surprised, but pleased.

“Yeah. Sure.”

Kit shovelled down his pancakes, and waited for conversation to return to normal.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for sexual content in this one as well!

Kit ended up patrolling with Dru on the night after his dramatic announcement. He had planned to spend the night indoors, but after a day of relentless teasing from every single person in the Institute, he had decided that he needed to get out of the Institute, and volunteered to accompany Dru as she went out to hunt demons.

She, at least, had had a bit of time to get used to the idea of him and Ty as a couple.

It was a slow day - they had only found two demons between the two of them - and they wandered leisurely through the streets and over the rooftops, mostly keeping quiet so as not to alert anyone to their presence. Kit felt jumpy and full of nervous energy. He itched for a fight. Was this how Jace felt all the time?

Dru walked a few paces ahead of him. Her arms were swinging at her sides, but Kit knew that any one of the weapons hanging at her belt could be in her hand in the blink of an eye. In the years since Kit had first met her, Dru had transformed from someone barely old enough to bear runes and constantly upset about not being old enough to fight, to a fearsome warrior. Frankly, she was extremely scary these days.

She looked around a corner, and visibly relaxed when it turned out to be empty. Kit caught up to her, and they walked together.

“Ty’s birthday is next week,” Dru said without preamble.

“Oh.” Kit had known that Ty’s birthday was sometime during the summer, but he hadn’t actually known the exact date. Did that make him a bad boyfriend? “That’s nice.”

Dru side-eyed him. It took him a minute to understand, and when he did, he felt awful.

Ty’s birthday was also Livvy’s birthday.

“It’s been hard for him since she died,” Dru explained, taking the lead once again as she walked down the street. “I was hoping you might have some ideas.”

“About what to do?”

She nodded.

Truth be told, he had no idea. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of emotions that day might bring for Ty. Would he want to celebrate at all? Or would he rather everyone pretend it was just a normal day? Would he even want Kit around? Kit was supposed to be his boyfriend, and yet he was woefully unprepared to deal with this.

“What’ve you done in the past?” he asked cautiously.

Dru bit her lip, still walking down the street as she looked out for demons. “Usually he stays in his room,” she admitted. “Shadowhunters don’t make a big deal out of birthdays, but we try to do something for him. It’s hard, though. For all of us.”

It would be, he thought. They had all lost Livvy.

“I’ll think about it,” he promised, and they dropped the topic.

He did think about it.

He thought about it all night, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in search of threats. He thought about it in the early hours of the morning when he crept into bed behind Ty and felt the other boy stir as he wrapped his arms around him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

He thought about it for the next week, as they trained and patrolled and fooled around in Ty’s bed, and Kit used every free moment to brainstorm ideas. He stopped just short of googling ‘how to celebrate your boyfriend’s birthday when he has a dead twin.’

Five days is how long it took him to finally reach the obvious conclusion that the best thing to do would be to just ask Ty.

Kit was sitting on the edge of the bed, already in his pyjamas, leaning back on his hands as he watched his boyfriend run a towel over his hair and pull on a shirt. Ty glanced over at him, realizing for the first time that he was being stared at, and smiled shyly.

Kit remembered when that smile had been a rare occurrence. It still was, around other people. But these days, Ty was almost always smiling around Kit. It still made his stomach flip over.

Ty crossed the room until he was standing in front of Kit, his hands on his shoulders as Kit leaned forward so his knees were bracketing Ty’s hips and his hands were on Ty’s waist. He looked up, into steely gray eyes that Kit thought were so much more striking than Blackthorn blue.

Ty leaned down to rest his forehead against Kit’s, and Kit ran his hands up and down Ty’s sides. He saw the other boy’s eyelids flutter shut.

“Dru told me your birthday is coming up,” he whispered, because he figured he might as well get this conversation over with now.

Ty’s fingers went up to play with Kit’s hair.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He bit his lip. His eyes opened, and Kit saw that they were glistening with tears. He seemed to be considering Kit’s question.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“We don’t have to do anything,” Kit said softly. “If you want me to leave you alone all day, I will.”

“Definitely not that,” Ty said immediately.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only person alive who wouldn’t take me up on that offer.”

Ty frowned. “That’s not true.”

Grinning, Kit tilted his chin up for a quick peck on the lips. “So, no leaving you alone. Got it. Do you want to go out somewhere? Or would you rather stay here?”

Ty thought about it for a moment.

“A distraction might be nice,” he said hesitantly.

“Well, I can provide _plenty_ of distractions right here,” he teased, and Ty smiled. “But maybe we could go out?”

“I think I’d like that.”

“It’s a date, then.”

Ty leaned down to kiss him.

* * *

“What do you think?” Kit asked, turning around slowly to show off the brand new button-up he had been waiting for an excuse to wear. It was light blue, and tucked into black jeans rolled up at the ankles. Ty looked him over appreciatively, and voiced his approval.

Ty himself was still shirtless, sifting through the drawers of his wardrobe for something to wear. Kit had started the process of moving his meager belongings into Ty’s room, now that they no longer had to keep up the pretense that they were sleeping in separate beds, and both of them had had to make adjustments. Ty liked his things tidy and well-organized, so accommodating for Kit’s belongings meant changing the way he arranged his room, and Kit was trying to be mindful of that while he gradually moved in. He was also trying his very best to clean up after himself, something Jem and Tessa had been unsuccessfully trying to get him to do for years now.

Ty pulled a t-shirt out of Kit’s drawer, and held it up in front of him.

“What about this?”

Kit grinned. It was the rainbow shirt that Ty had borrowed from him back in Devon, after Livvy had moved on.

“I didn’t realize you liked that shirt so much.”

Ty shrugged. “It made me happy to find it in your room.”

“Well, I like seeing you wear it.”

Ty smiled and shrugged on the t-shirt. It fit just as well as it had last time.

“We can share it,” he promised, but Kit decided he would be more than happy to give up the shirt for good.

It was the morning of Ty’s - and Livvy’s - eighteenth birthday, and Kit was taking him out for a trip to the museum of Natural History, and potentially a walk around the city if he felt up for it. Ty had requested a trip to the city so he could stay busy, but Los Angeles had few tourist attractions that appealed to people who hated crowds and noise, so Kit had decided that a museum would probably be the best course of action, and Ty had agreed.

It was their first real date, even though they’d been together for weeks now, and they had both been looking forward to it eagerly since the topic had first come up. Even though it was just a trip to a museum - and lunch at a coffee shop - Kit was excited just to walk around in broad daylight holding his boyfriend’s hand.

They made their way downstairs for a quick breakfast, where Ty’s siblings all wished him a happy birthday. Kit could tell that everyone was trying their very best to put on a brave face on a day that was clearly very difficult for all of them. Kit understood, suddenly, why Ty had wanted to get out for the day. They ate quickly, avoiding awkward conversation.

He ordered the uber, Helen gave Ty a kiss on the cheek and told them to have fun, and they walked out the door.

It was a nice day out. Hot, of course, but Los Angeles always was, and both boys were used to it. They slid into the back of the car, their hands linked over the middle seat, and the driver took off into the city. Ty was looking out the window, and he didn’t look like he was about to break down into tears. That was something, at least. He had cried last night, and again this morning, and Kit could tell that he was trying hard to keep it together.

He just hoped he could help with that.

The uber driver dropped them off in front of the museum, and they thanked him, stepping out into the searing heat. Ty's fingers were still threaded through his - they had discussed this earlier, Kit having to explain why two boys holding hands in public might be a bad idea, and Ty deciding he wanted to do it anyway - and Kit couldn’t hold back a massive grin as they walked into the building.

Nobody said anything to them over the course of the next three hours, thankfully, though a few people shot them strange looks and one parent ushered his kids away from them, as if merely seeing a gay couple might corrupt them forever. Ty glared at him, and Kit’s heart went out to the kids. He hoped for their sake that none of them turned out queer.

There was also one kind woman who pointed them out excitedly to her kids as if they were another exhibit at the museum. Kit and Ty both agreed that this wasn't much better.

The museum had been a great choice, though. Ty was apparently the type of person who needed to read every single panel, and Kit was more than happy to hear him talk excitedly about what he had learned, and what he knew that wasn’t written on any of the exhibits. When he wasn’t learning animal facts, Kit was making Ty laugh by pointing out funny pictures or statues and saying ‘that’s you.’

By the time they left the museum, it was past two in the afternoon and they were both starving. They walked down the street to the little coffee shop Kit had found on google maps, and were both relieved to find that the place was mostly deserted. The advantages of eating a late lunch.

The girl working the cash register had dark, pink-streaked hair, and her eyes immediately locked on their linked hands. Kit braced himself for a confrontation, ready to sweep out of the place at the slightest hint that they might not be welcome. Instead, the girl gave them an ear-splitting grin and cheerfully asked them what they wanted.

They each picked out a sandwich and a drink, and Ty gave his hand one last squeeze before walking away to find them a table. The girl watched him leave, still grinning. Kit was starting to develop a theory about why she might be acting this way, but he would never voice it out loud.

He pulled out his phone while he waited for their order. He texted Dru to confirm that they were having a great time and that Ty seemed happy, then sent her a picture from the museum. Julian was frantically seeking his approval on dinner plans, and Kit tried his best to be reassuring. All the recipes Julian was sending him looked perfectly acceptable.

Their lunch was ready. The same girl who had been working the cash pushed a tray across the counter. She looked over at where Ty was sitting.

“You two are cute together,” she said shyly, then looked down.

Kit beamed. “Thanks.”

He brought the tray over to the table by the window that Ty had picked out for them. Ty dug into his sandwich eagerly, and took long sips of the sugary iced tea concoction that Kit was extremely suspicious of.

When Ty took a break to look out the window, Kit pulled out his phone and took a quick picture. Ty caught him a split second too late, and sighed in exasperation.

“You don’t have to take pictures of me every time we do something,” he protested.

“But you’re so pretty,” Kit pouted.

The corner of Ty’s mouth quirked up, and he shook his head, returning to his meal. Kit sent the picture to Julian just to prove to him that everything was okay. He and Julian still weren’t on the best of terms, but they had at least established a healthy amount of respect for each other as people who cared very deeply for Ty.

He sent the picture to Tessa, too, because she was always requesting pictures of the two of them.

He had just returned to his food when Tessa’s reply came.

_Send him our best wishes!_

Kit smiled and passed the phone across the table so Ty could see. Ty looked at it quizzically.

“I guess that picture’s alright,” he admitted.

“Alright?” Kit was offended. “Every picture of you is a work of art.”

“Not the picture you took in the library the other day,” Ty shot back.

“Your eyes looked pretty in that one!”

As far as Kit was concerned, it was impossible for Ty to look anything less than perfect.

Ty rolled his eyes, and looked back at the phone as it buzzed with another message. He chuckled, and Kit watched him take a picture and type something out.

“Did you just take a creepshot of me?”

“It’s payback!”

He reached across the table, but Ty held the phone out of his reach until he was done typing his message. Only after he had hit send did he return the device. Kit braced himself.

It wasn’t that bad. Tessa had sent a close-up of Mina with the caption _this one would like to know if she gets cake for Ty’s birthday_.

Apparently, Ty had not actually been taking a picture of him from across the table. He had sent Tessa a blurry selfie with the caption _please give her cake! It is my only birthday wish!_

Kit laughed. “I’ve taught you well,” he said, just as a reply came from Tessa, declaring him a terrible influence on everyone around him. He requested pictures of the cake, and pocketed his phone so he could finish his meal.

* * *

They lingered in the coffee shop long after their food had been eaten and their drinks consumed. It was a quiet spot, and none of the staff seemed to mind, so they held hands across the table and talked about their day until they were both too tired to stay out any longer, and Kit ordered them a car as Ty slid his headphones back over his ears.

The uber ride was quiet, both of them exhausted from a long day on their feet. Once home, they headed upstairs for a quick nap before dinner.

Kit laid on his back, Ty’s head resting over his heart and Ty’s fingers splayed out over his stomach, under his shirt.

“I had fun today,” Ty sighed.

Kit kissed the top of his head. “I’m glad.”

“It feels kind of weird celebrating without her.”

Kit chose his words carefully, his hand running up and down Ty’s arm.

“I think she would have wanted that.”

“I know. She told me so last year.” He hesitated. “Doesn’t make it feel any less weird.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Kit?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t ever want to pretend it’s not her birthday, too.”

“Then don’t.”

Ty sighed against him. Kit ran his hand soothingly over Ty’s back. The other boy seemed deep in thought, his fingers still running over Kit’s skin.

“What are you thinking?” Kit said after a long pause.

Ty smiled. “It’s cheesy.”

“Well, now I definitely need to know.”

Ty’s expression turned serious. He was watching his fingers as they moved, clearly taking time to gather his thoughts.

“I was thinking,” he said slowly, “about how I grew up seeing my siblings and friends fall in love and never really understood, or thought it would happen to me.” He paused. “Guess I understand now.”

Kit felt like his heart was about to burst. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just hugged his boyfriend tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

It was a lot, but he kind of knew what Ty was talking about. He had always laughed at Jem and Tessa for the way they acted around each other and the way they talked about Will, but maybe he understood a little bit now.

And wasn’t that crazy? That he could relate even a little bit to the greatest love story he had ever heard?

He smiled against the top of Ty’s head, and they lay there until they were called downstairs for dinner.

* * *

Dinner was considerably more enjoyable than breakfast had been. While it was clear that nobody was in a particularly celebratory mood, the Blackthorns all put on a brave face for Ty’s sake, and they had clearly put a lot of effort into the meal. It was, despite the somber mood, a success, and Kit and Ty spent most of it telling them all about their day out in the city.

“I can’t believe you nerds went to a museum for Ty’s birthday,” said Emma.

“Don’t talk about my boyfriend that way,” Kit shot back.

After dinner came cake, and Kit was almost mad at Julian for spamming him with panicked texts when his baking skills were clearly more than adequate. Tavvy had apparently helped him out with the actual baking, but it was clear that Julian had taken care of the frosting. The cake looked like it belonged in the window of a bakery.

Across the top, Julian had written _Happy birthday Ty and Livvy_.

When Ty saw it, tears welled up in his eyes. He reached up to grip the locket that always hung around his neck.

“Thank you,” he croaked. Kit leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“She’d be really proud of you,” he promised. Ty turned to face him, then, his eyes shining with tears. He put a hand on Kit’s cheek and kissed him in front of his entire family.

As kisses go, it wasn’t anything spectacular - just a quick press of lips against lips - but Kit was so surprised he almost forgot to kiss him back.

When they broke away, everyone was staring at them. Emma turned to Julian.

“We’re not that bad, are we?”

“You’re much worse,” Dru grumbled.

Kit figured they deserved to be teased a bit for this, and found he didn’t mind that much.

* * *

The minute they were back in their room, Ty pushed him up against the wall and shoved his tongue down his throat.

Kit had tried not to have any expectations about tonight. This had been a very emotional day for Ty, and it would make perfect sense if he wasn’t in the mood for sex, or kissing, or anything at all. Still, Kit was extremely pleased about this development.

Ty had him pinned to the wall, his knee in between Kit’s and his hands already working to undo the buttons on Kit’s shirt as his tongue explored his mouth. Kit didn’t know if it was the memory of their first kiss that was messing with his head, or if this was something he had always been into, but he was kissing Ty like he’d never kissed anyone before, almost tearing the other boy’s shirt in his rush to get it off.

He felt Ty grab him by the thighs and lift him further up the wall so they were on the same level, and wrapped his legs around Ty’s waist. Ty gasped against his lips, and knew he was making much more embarrassing noises himself, but he didn’t care, not when Ty was doing _that_ with his mouth.

He leaned his head against the wall, gasping, as Ty came up for air. His hands were still working on Kit’s shirt, fumbling over the buttons but still being careful not to rip the material. It was such a _Ty_ thing to do that Kit couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?”

“You’re such a dork,” he gasped, and brought their mouths together again.

The last button popped open, and Ty’s hands roamed over his bare torso, eagerly, hungrily, as if he could never get enough of touching him. Kit’s nails dug into the skin of his boyfriend’s back, pulling him closer, closer, closer.

And then Ty was picking him up and walking him over to the bed, only breaking the kiss when Kit fell back onto the mattress and he crawled up to his level. Kit’s lips were already swollen and bruised, and he didn’t care, he would gladly keep doing this forever. Their mouths collided again, and Kit’s hands roamed over Ty’s body, appreciating the hard muscle under his fingers. Thank goodness for Shadowhunter training, he thought, for gracing his boyfriend with these shoulders and this chest and these abs.

It wasn’t even that Ty was _that_ fit, by Shadowhunter or mundane standards. But he was in better shape than Kit was, and maybe it was just the fact that it was _Ty_ \- skinny, awkward, studious Ty, who would rather sit in the library reading than practice sword fighting - that made it so incredible.

He sucked on Ty’s bottom lip and trailed his hands over his scars, over the lines where runes had once been. He yanked at Ty’s belt, wanting more skin to touch, but Ty gasped against his mouth, grabbed his wrist, and pinned it over his head.

_Oh._

Ty broke the kiss, pulling back an inch to stare at him. His lips were kiss-swollen and bruised, his cheeks flushed, his hair sticking up all over the place. He looked utterly undone in a way Kit had never seen before, and he still had Kit’s hand pinned to the mattress above them. Kit felt like he might burst into flames at any moment.

Okay. So maybe it wasn’t just the wall.

Maybe he _kind of_ had a thing for Ty taking control.

“Can I-” Ty’s voice was thick with desire. “-can we try something different?”

Kit had no idea what his boyfriend had in mind, but he nodded enthusiastically. He was pretty sure he would agree to anything right now.

Ty swallowed. Kit watched the bob of his adam’s apple. Both necklaces were still around Ty’s neck, dangling between them.

“Can I use my mouth?” Ty asked.

Kit was pretty sure his brain had just short-circuited, but he managed a nod, and sank back against the pillows as Ty ducked down to kiss his neck, his collarbones, making his way down Kit’s body.

It was hot and intense and more than they’d ever done before, and despite himself Kit couldn’t help but wonder what might have brought Ty to act like this today of all days.

Was he a bad boyfriend for letting this continue?

“Wait. Wait, hold on.”

Ty broke away from him immediately, breathing hard. He frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Kit’s brain was still foggy with lust, and Ty’s state of undress wasn’t helping at all. Their current position was absolutely not conducive to serious conversations. Still, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tried to form a coherent sentence.

“Kit?” Concern was starting to creep into Ty’s voice.

“Why now?” Kit finally got out. “Why today?”

“Because I want to,” he said slowly. “If you don’t-”

“No. No, no, that’s not it. I _definitely_ want to. It’s just…” Kit exhaled, and looked up at the ceiling. His hand went up to play with the Herondale necklace around Ty’s neck. “If this is a thing where you’re really upset and you’re trying to use me as a distraction then you should tell me because you might regret it later and I don’t think I could live with myself if you did.”

The words rushed out of him in one breath, and there was silence between them as Ty took his time answering. Kit was well aware that he was sending mixed messages - he had, after all, offered to distract Ty in exactly this way only a few days ago - but something just wasn’t sitting right with him now and he didn’t want to take this next step if they weren’t on exactly the same page about it.

“I do want a distraction,” Ty admitted slowly, “but it’s not like that.”

Kit waited for him to continue.

“Today was hard, but _you_ made it better. Spending time with you made me forget the bad things. And -” his mouth tilted up as he looked Kit up and down - “thinking about all the things I wanted to do to my boyfriend once we got home was an excellent distraction.”

Kit grinned. “You’ve been thinking about this?”

“I’ve been thinking about it all day long,” Ty promised, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

“So this definitely isn’t about you being upset?”

“No.” Ty’s mouth found his earlobe, and tugged on it.

"And it has nothing to do with Livvy?"

“I’d actually rather not think about my sister right now.”

Kit’s breathing hitched. “I thought we’d already established that I have a thing for her.”

Ty poked him in the ribs and he laughed, and then he stopped laughing because Ty’s mouth was moving down, trailing agonizingly slow kisses over his neck and down to his shoulder. Kit sighed and shifted under him, stretching his neck so Ty could get a better angle.

This - anything that went beyond kissing - was still new territory for them. Kit longed for days when he would know exactly which places to touch, or to kiss, to make Ty feel good, when he didn’t feel nervous or shy or flustered at the thought of doing more than kissing and handjobs. 

Still, he had to admit that figuring things out together was kind of fun.

He was convinced that Ty was torturing him on purpose, kissing every inch of his skin as he made his way down very, very slowly. Ty trailed his lips over the silver scars where runes had faded into his skin, the scrapes and bruises from training, the permanent runes that matched his own. By the time he reached the hair at Kit’s bellybutton, Kit was squirming under him and practically begging him to get on with it, already.

An eternity later, he was undoing Kit’s belt and pulling his pants down along with his underwear, and his eyes flicked up to meet Kit’s and Kit nodded, yes, yes, yes.

His mouth was tentative at first, his gaze frequently flicking up to ask for reassurance, in a gesture that was strangely sweet for what he was doing. Gradually, he gained confidence as he went. Kit gripped his hair with one hand while the other clapped over his own mouth because he did _not_ need Ty’s siblings hearing any of this. Kit didn’t know if Ty had been doing research or if he was a natural or if Kit was just reacting this way because it was him, but Ty was _good_ at this, and he seemed to be getting as much out of it as Kit was, judging by the noises he was making against him, and _oh god_ this was not going to last nearly as long as he wanted it to.

It did not last long, and when Ty pulled back and crawled up to his level, Kit kissed him eagerly, not caring about the taste, and flipped them over so he could return the favour, wasting no time getting his boyfriend's clothes off and closing his mouth around him. He was probably terrible at this, but the only way to get better was with practice, and besides, they were both way too far gone to mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no, Cassie has not revealed Ty's birthday, but it worked for this narrative so I'm sticking with it


	23. Chapter 23

According to every single person around them, Kit and Ty got more annoying with every day that passed.

Neither of them cared.

They flirted shamelessly during training, so much so that Diana threatened to kick them out if they kept distracting each other. They were banned from patrolling together. They became incapable of sitting on a couch together without cuddling, no matter who else was in the room.

“Tessa’s going to hear _all_ about this,” Aline threatened, pointing an accusing finger at Kit after finding him and Ty in a compromising position in the library.

He just shrugged. “She’s much worse than I am.”

Tessa, Jem and Mina were set to arrive the next day, and Kit was practically bursting with excitement and nerves. It had been way too long since he had last seen them, and so much had changed in that time.

Kit knew the Blackthorns didn’t actually resent him and Ty for being deliriously in love and flaunting it. Anyone who knew Ty could see how happy he had been since he and Kit had started dating, and if everyone at the Institute could agree on one thing, it was that Ty deserved to be happy.

And if his happiness meant that the rest of the family would have to endure him making eyes at his boyfriend at all hours of the day, then so be it.

If Kit knew anything about his adoptive parents, it was that they would be more than happy to put up with his and Ty’s antics.

There was another thing about their arrival, though. It meant that Kit’s days in Los Angeles were numbered.

It was hard to believe that more than a month had already passed, but it was undeniable: it was already mid August. Tomorrow, the Carstairs would arrive. Two weeks later, everyone would head to New York together for Clary and Jace’s wedding. And then Kit would go home to Devon, and Ty would pack up his belongings and head back to the Scholomance. Very soon, they would have to have a serious conversation about what their future would look like.

It wasn’t like they were going to break up. That wasn’t what Kit was afraid of. But going long distance was still a big deal, and Kit found that he was dreading the conversation.

So for now, he was going to do the Herondale thing and just pretend it wasn’t happening.

On the night before his parents’ arrival, he followed Ty into the shower and did his very best to distract the both of them so they wouldn't have time to worry about the future.

Not that that was the only reason he did it.

It _definitely_ wasn’t the only reason.

By the time they were done, the water had gone cold and Kit had completely destroyed his knees on the hard tile.

"You didn't have to do that," Ty said for the third time, as they dried themselves off in the bedroom and Kit examined the damage.

"I don't hear you complaining."

"You could have waited until we got out."

"Where's the fun in that?" Kit pouted. "Just wait, next time I'm in the shower and you're feeling horny, you're going to attempt exactly the same thing."

"I will not."

"I'm going to quote you on that."

Ty threw his towel at him, and Kit let it fall to the ground. He lunged at his now very naked boyfriend, tickling his sides. Ty shrieked and tried to squirm away, but Kit wrapped his arms around him and drew him backward so his back was against Kit’s chest. Ty relaxed against him, laughing.

“I’m going to miss this,” he sighed, as Kit pressed wet kisses to his shoulders.

“Standing naked in the middle of your room in full view of both your pets?”

“It’s not weird!” Ty insisted, laughing.

“It is weird! That demon cat has seen things!”

They had had this discussion many times already. Kit always forgot about it once their clothes started coming off, but was always reminded of it once he got up and spotted Irene. He was convinced the lynx’s stares were getting more judgmental, as if she was saying _I’ve seen your entire ass and it’s not as nice as you think it is._

“She can’t see anything from the floor,” Ty said practically. “And animals do it out in the open all the time. It’s not like she cares.”

“ _I_ care.”

Ty just shook his head and laced his fingers through Kit’s. Kit leaned his forehead against Ty’s neck, inhaling the smell of his soap.

“Can we talk about what happens after you go back to Devon?” Ty whispered.

Kit exhaled slowly. He didn’t want to talk about this, obviously. But Ty liked his routine. He liked familiar things. He would want to know what to expect. It wasn’t fair of Kit to keep him in the dark just because he wanted to avoid difficult conversations.

“Tessa can make portals,” he offered.

“There’s a portal at the Scholomance, too.”

Kit ran his thumb over Ty’s stomach. He kissed the crook of Ty’s neck. “We could visit every weekend.”

Ty sighed. “I could do that.”

“Maybe alternate locations? One weekend in Devon, one at the Scholomance?” 

“I like that idea.”

Kit let his eyes flutter closed as his thumb kept stroking over Ty’s abs. He could feel the rise and fall of Ty’s chest as they breathed in tandem.

“We’ll make it work,” he promised. 

Ty tightened his grip on Kit’s hands. “I know.”

“I’m still gonna miss you.”

“Yeah.”

He kissed Ty’s neck. “Should we put some clothes on and get into bed?” He only had about two weeks left of being able to cuddle with his boyfriend whenever he wanted to, and he wanted to make the most of it.

Ty pulled away, and shot him a confused look. “Since when do you _want_ me to put on clothes?”

“I mean…” Kit grinned. “Only if you _really_ want to.”

Ty took a step away from him, laughing. “You’re impossible.”

“But you love me.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I do.”

* * *

The next morning, Kit and Ty got dressed and headed straight downstairs to meet the Carstairs on the front steps of the Institute. Based on Tessa’s texts, it sounded like the family was just as eager to get to Los Angeles as they were to have them arrive. Kit gave them the go-ahead as soon as they stepped out the doors, and it barely took a minute for a portal to appear in front of them.

Jem appeared seconds later, with Mina in his arms. The poor kid still hated portal travel, but she forgot all about her discomfort as soon as she spotted her big brother.

“KIT!” she yelled, and Jem set her down so she could run over to him and right into his arms.

Kit lifted her up in a giant hug and spun her around. She shrieked and threw her arms around his neck.

“I missed you so much!” she cried.

Kit ruffled her hair. “I missed you too, kid.”

“I hope you never leave again!”

He laughed. “I’ll try not to.”

She had grown a lot since he had last seen her. More than he had expected her to, considering they had only been apart for about a month. She was strong, too, able to cling to him like a monkey. She had lost some of the chubbiness she had had at two, and must have shot up a few inches as well.

It was a weird feeling, knowing that she was growing so quickly and that he had missed so much of that growth in only a month away from her. He didn’t want to think about what he would miss when he moved out for good.

But he had time to think about that. For now, he was with his family again.

Ty was already greeting the others. Kit watched Jem ruffle his hair, a huge smile on his face. The two of them had been keeping up a regular correspondence ever since Ty's brief stay at Cirenworth hall.

Mina was chattering away in his ear, apparently determined to catch him up on every single thing that had happened while he had been away. He just barely managed to keep up, nodding along whenever it was appropriate. When it became clear that she had no intention of letting go of him any time soon, he walked over to the others and accepted Jem and Tessa’s hugs.

“It’s good to see you,” Tessa said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Ty leaned over to say hello to Mina, who was still clinging to Kit, and she offered him a small smile. She watched him run back up the stairs, Jem and Tessa in tow, a calculating expression on her three-year-old face.

Even though they were alone outside, Mina brushed Kit’s hair away from his ear and cupped her hand around her mouth.

“Mum says Ty is your _boyfriend_ ,” she whispered, her breath tickling the inside of Kit’s ear.

“He is,” Kit whispered back, leaning away so he could look her in the eyes. “Is that okay with you?”

She thought about it for a moment.

“Is he gonna come live with us?” she asked with obvious concern.

Kit laughed. “No, silly. He’s just going to come visit more often.”

“Are you gonna marry him?” She wasn’t whispering anymore, her voice pitched high and her eyes wide. Kit was very glad no one else was around, as he felt his face heat up.

“Not yet,” he said. “It’s too early to think about that.”

“But maybe later?”

“Maybe,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Maybe tomorrow?” she asked, completely innocently.

Kit laughed. “Definitely not tomorrow.”

“Then when?”

“Not for a long time, alright? And we can’t talk about it.”

Her eyes went wide. “Why?”

“Because it’s a secret.” He put his finger to his lips. This trick sometimes worked with her. “Can you promise not to talk about it?”

She nodded, perfectly serious. It wasn’t until they were in the entryway of the Institute that she spoke again, leaning her head against Kit’s shoulder.

“Kit?”

“Yeah?”

“I think he’s great.”

Kit grinned, and patted her back. “I think so too, kid.”

* * *

Everyone was overjoyed to have the Carstairs back at the Institute, and no one more so than Mina herself, who started talking the minute Kit carried her into the kitchen, and kept talking all throughout breakfast. She even refused a chair of her own, opting instead to sit on Kit’s knee while he ate.

“Looks like Ty’s got some competition,” remarked Aline, grinning at the kid squirming around on Kit’s knee.

“They should duke it out,” Emma suggested, her mouth full of food. “What do you say, Ty? You vs the toddler.”

“Why is violence always the answer with you?” said Julian, exasperated.

“I’m not going to fight Mina,” Ty answered practically.

“Yeah, we’re friends!” she piped up.

“And besides.” Ty frowned. “I’m not _that_ clingy.”

Everyone laughed, including Kit.

“Mina mine,” came Jem’s voice from the hallway. He had gotten changed, and now looked very much like a dad in shorts and a t-shirt. Mina spun around to look at him. “Are you ready to go to the pier?”

Mina gasped. “We’re going to the pier?”

Jem closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This plan had been set in stone for weeks now. “Yes, I’ve told you this at least three times today. Come on, let’s get you ready.”

She slid off Kit’s knee and ran across the room, then hesitated.

“Can Ty come too?” she asked, craning her neck to look her dad in the eyes.

“Of course he can.”

Aline coughed. “Don’t think you could pry him away.”

Kit glared at her. She smirked. Jem just ushered Mina out of the room and reminded the boys to hurry up. 

* * *

They needed two cars to get to the Santa Monica pier, so Kit called an uber from Tessa’s phone and hoped she could get herself and Jem there without problems. If not, then he, Ty and Mina would have a great time without them, and afterward they would have a great time making fun of them for it.

Miraculously, everyone arrived in one piece and only a few minutes apart. Much to Kit’s surprise, Mina walked right up to Ty and held up her arms, demanding to be picked up. Ty acquiesced happily, swinging her up onto his shoulders. Kit narrowed his eyes at them.

“Looks like _I_ might be the one who has to fight Mina.”

“Nobody’s fighting Mina,” said Tessa practically.

“Yeah, I only fight the bad guys,” Mina agreed.

Kit laughed as Tessa heaved an exasperated sigh. He didn’t know where his sister had picked that up, but it was a line every adorable three year old girl should know.

He slid his hand into Ty’s and they made their way over to the amusement park, Jem and Tessa trailing behind them. Not everything was open yet, so the pier was quiet enough that Ty took off his headphones and listened to Mina’s steady stream of chatter. She had never been anywhere like this before, and her eyes were wide as saucers as she took in the rides and the stalls and the shops. Kit squeezed Ty’s hand.

“You good?”

Ty smiled. “I’m fine.”

“You’ll tell me if you’re not?”

“Of course.” Ty leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. Mina voiced her disapproval from her spot on Ty’s shoulders. Kit reached over and tugged on her foot.

“Get used to it.”

The carnival games were a huge hit. Mina became obsessed with winning as many plushies as she possibly could, but since she was terrible at the games, Jem had to play for her as she cheered him on from the sidelines. Kit thought Jem was taking advantage of the mundanes by using his Shadowhunter skills, but really, who was he to talk? He had, after all, robbed an ATM only a few months ago.

Ty apparently shared this opinion, because when Jem refused to relent even after winning some of the most expensive prizes at the fair, he ushered Mina away from her father and ducked down to coach her through a simple bucket toss, correcting her form as, behind them, Jem completely annihilated a shooting game.

Kit watched from a distance. He had been given a coconut and a rubber duck to hold on to, and had no idea what to do with either thing. Beside him, Tessa was already carrying several stuffed animals.

“Do they expect us to carry this stuff around all day?” he asked her. “I’m not carrying a coconut all day. I look like an idiot.”

“Will would have a few ideas about what to do with that duck.” She looked over at her daughter, and frowned. “If your boyfriend keeps this up, we’re _definitely_ going to have a problem.”

Ty was indeed creating more problems for them. Mina was jumping up and down in excitement after successfully throwing a ball into one of the buckets.

“Well, if your _husband_ keeps this up, we’re going to be banned from this place before noon.”

She looked over to where Jem was proudly accepting a stuffed bear bigger than Mina, and groaned, running over to stop him from further exploiting the poor mundanes.

Ty and Mina were done with the bucket toss, and Mina was happily accepting a small rubber lizard. When she spotted Kit, she ran over to him, waving her prize over her head.

“Kit! I won a lizard!”

“I can see that!” He crouched down so he was at her eye level as she barreled into him. “Did you win it all by yourself!”

“Yeah!” She held out her prize for Kit to inspect. “Well, Ty helped a little bit,” she corrected.

“Just a little bit, huh?”

“It was all her,” Ty said, appearing behind Mina. Kit grinned up at him.

“And what do we say to Ty for the throwing lessons?”

Mina spun around and craned her neck to look up at Ty. “Thank you!”

Suddenly, her eyes caught on something else, and she sprinted off to join her parents, who were struggling to keep a hold on all the stuffed animals they had just won. Kit scoffed as he stood up. They spoiled her way too much.

“Okay, serious question.” Ty’s head whipped around to look at him. “If I get rid of this coconut, will she notice?”

Ty thought about it for a moment.

“Probably,” he said reluctantly. “It’s a pretty memorable prize.”

Kit sighed, gazing forlornly at the object.

“What am I going to do with this, Ty? I don’t even know how to _open_ a coconut.”

“Here, let me try.” Kit passed him the coconut and watched as he pulled a giant knife out of his belt. Kit looked around them, worried some mundane might see, but nobody seemed to be looking at them. Ty angled the fruit away from him and slashed downward with the knife, over and over again until a piece of the hard shell came off, leaving a small hole at the top. He held it out triumphantly, and Kit took it, laughing.

“You are just… full of surprises.”

At Ty’s encouragement, he took a tentative sip of the water inside. It was good.

The Carstairs were walking back toward them, Mina attempting to carry the giant bear, which was, in fact, bigger than her. Kit handed back the coconut.

“I can’t believe you accuse _me_ of spoiling her.”

Jem grinned. “A teddy bear won’t do her any harm! Cookies, on the other hand…”

Kit just shook his head. Ty passed the coconut around, even ducking down to help Mina drink from it, until the water was all gone and Tessa used magic to split it in two so they could eat the fruit. At least Kit wouldn’t have to carry the stupid thing around anymore.

“Okay, be honest,” he said to Ty as the other three set off in search of food. “Are you doing all this just because you want them to like you?”

Ty looked offended. “Of course not!”

Kit shook his head and looked up at the sky. Their linked hands swung between them as they followed the others through the crowd. “You are just… too perfect.”

“Well,” Ty corrected sheepishly, “that may have played a _tiny_ part in it…”

Kit shoved him. “I knew it.”

“I wanted them to like me!”

“They already love you, dumbass.”

Ty started. “They do?”

“Almost everything they know about you, they learned from me.” He planted a kiss on Ty’s cheek. “Trust me, they love you.”

Ty smiled. “You’ve been saying nice things?”

“Too many nice things, apparently. I think they want you to move in forever.”

Ty bit his lip, clearly trying not to laugh. “Mina may have said something like that.”

“Fucking hell.” Kit looked up at the sky while Ty laughed. That kid was a menace, and he was going to have a serious conversation with her about keeping her mouth shut.

“It’s sweet,” he offered. “I know I don’t have to win _her_ over.”

“Oh, she definitely ships it.”

Ty frowned.

“She wants us to stay together,” he clarified, amused.

“She had some _very_ specific ideas about what we should do,” Ty added. “Preferably tomorrow.”

Kit groaned. “I’m going to _kill_ that kid.”

They bought hot dogs off the street and ate them as they walked, making their way down to the beach so that the boys could help Mina build sand castles while her parents waded into the water and splashed each other until they were both soaking wet. Thank goodness for Tessa’s magic drying their clothes instantly.

When they were finally done acting like lovesick teenagers, Tessa flopped down next to Kit in the sand, Jem walking over to where Ty and Mina were building a sand castle. Kit was leaning back on his hands, staring out at the water and just enjoying the hot Los Angeles sun.

“You’re ridiculous,” he told her.

“Gotta stay young somehow.”

She laid down on her back, placing her hat over her face so it protected her from the sun. This was one of those moments where it was very hard to believe she was over a hundred and fifty years old.

“They seem to be getting along,” she said after a long pause. Kit looked over to where Mina and Jem were on their hands and knees, digging into the sand. Mina kept throwing sand onto Ty, but he didn’t seem at all bothered as he watched them work.

“She’s trying to convince us to get married. Tomorrow.”

Tessa shrugged. “What can I say? She knows how Herondales work.”

He threw a handful of sand at her. “You’re supposed to back me up on this.”

“Not my fault she believes in your love.”

With a dramatic sigh, he laid down in the sand next to her. “Well, she’s going to have to wait at least five years.”

“Five?” She clearly thought the idea was hilarious. “Don’t kid yourself.”

“An indeterminable amount of time. Because we’ve been dating for less than two months and you guys are all insane if you’re even _thinking_ about that.”

“Blame your ancestors, kid.”

They laid in the sun until Ty came over to announce that Mina was done and it was probably time to find a restaurant for dinner. It was early for dinner, but the Carstairs were adjusting to a seven hour time difference, and Mina was getting cranky. Kit let his boyfriend pull him to his feet, planted a kiss on his mouth to jeers and catcalls from his family, and they all walked over to the nearest diner.

They filed into a booth, Jem and Tessa taking one side along with the extensive collection of stuffed animals, while Kit, Ty and Mina took the other side.

Mina fell asleep against Kit almost immediately, leaving the rest of them to order for her. Ty leaned his head against Kit’s other shoulder, his hand on Kit’s thigh.

Across the table, Tessa snapped a picture. Kit didn’t even give her shit about it.

He was happy. He had missed his family during his stay in Los Angeles, and he knew he was going to miss Ty when he went back to Devon. Having all the people he loved most in one place was a rare occurrence, he knew, and he was trying his best to appreciate it.

He was really, really looking forward to the next two weeks.


	24. Chapter 24

Mina did not become any less obsessed with Ty as time went on. She followed him around like a lost puppy and refused to have anyone else read her bedtime stories. She soon discovered that Ty knew quite a lot about animals, and took to peppering him with questions that he was only too happy to answer. Kit was kind of offended that his little sister had clearly decided that his boyfriend was much cooler than him, but at the same time, he completely understood. Honestly, this was just further proof that Mina had excellent taste in people.

“You know, you don’t _have_ to say yes,” he laughed, as Ty was dragged off the couch by Mina, who was dressed in pyjamas and in urgent need of someone to read to her.

“Of course I have to say yes!”

“Yeah,” said Mina. “‘cause if he doesn’t then I’m not gonna sleep.”

Kit shook his head, and pulled Ty down for a kiss, which was quite difficult given that Mina had a firm grasp on his other hand.

“She can’t keep stealing you,” he said against Ty’s mouth.

“I won’t be long,” Ty laughed. “Then I’m all yours.”

Across the room, Dru groaned.

“We’re literally _right here_!”

Kit flipped her off, not even caring if Mina saw. Ty hurried out of the room, blushing.

Just as Kit had predicted, the Carstairs’ arrival in Los Angeles had done absolutely nothing to limit his and Ty’s disgusting displays of PDA. If anything, Jem and Tessa made things much worse by challenging them for the title of ‘most annoying couple in the building.’

Of course, Kit and Ty had never actually owned that title. It belonged to Julian and Emma and always would, and people only pretended otherwise because they were so used to it.

Kit complained about his parents as much as everyone else complained about him, but he was secretly thrilled to have them in Los Angeles with him, and his heart grew three sizes every time he saw Ty softly conversing with Jem or sharing book recommendations with Tessa.

They were so eager to accept Ty into the family that Kit was slightly worried they’d just go ahead and propose marriage on his behalf. He was pretty sure Mina had already attempted it. Several times.

It didn’t help at all that Clary and Jace’s wedding was fast approaching, and wedding talk was completely dominating conversation. If Kit heard one more ‘you’re next!’ joke, he was going to jump out a window.

Even Simon was getting in on it, since someone had apparently tipped him off to the the latest development in Kit's life.

The first text came in the late evening, when Kit was lying in bed waiting for Ty to be done reading Mina her nightly bedtime story.

 _I should have known you had a boyfriend when you stopped showing up to my movie nights,_ the message read.

Kit stared at the text for a full minute before he managed to formulate a response.

_no you just have shit taste in movies  
_ _also who told you?????  
_ _I need to have words_

Simon confirmed that Emma had told Clary all about Kit and Ty’s recent antics, and Clary had told everyone. Damn Emma, he thought. Of course she was going around telling everyone all about his relationship.

 _Kit? You still there?_ Simon texted a few minutes later.

_yeah sorry just gotta find a place to hide the body_

_ha ha, very funny  
_ _seriously though feel free to invite him to literally anything  
_ _can you ask him if he wants to play dnd??_

Kit rolled his eyes. Of course Simon was using this as an opportunity to recruit more people for his stupid Dungeons & Dragons club, which was pitifully small ever since Clary had gotten bored of it and Jace had rage-quit in the middle of a session. He refused to let his boyfriend get sucked into it.

Although, now that he thought about it, Dungeons & Dragons did kind of sound like the kind of thing Ty might enjoy. Maybe he would bring it up.

Not that he was going to tell Simon that.

 _what are you even doing at the wedding,_ he sent instead. _I thought you were swearing off parties until the new SW movie_

_Clary wouldn’t change the date :(  
_ _So I’m making this one exception_

_I hope she appreciates your sacrifice_

They texted back and forth until Simon announced that it was late in New York and he needed to sleep, and Kit scrolled mindlessly through social media as he waited for his boyfriend to return from war (otherwise known as Mina’s room).

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open and Ty stepped into the room.

“It’s about time,” said Kit, grinning up at him from the bed.

Ty rolled his eyes and sat down next to him on the bed.

“Tessa was right,” he said. “You Herondales are so needy.”

Kit reached out to grab him, and Ty acquiesced happily, rolling over so he was on top of him. He leaned down to fit his mouth to Kit’s.

Kit sighed into the kiss, reaching up to wind his fingers through Ty’s hair. There was no urgency tonight, both of them just enjoying the freedom of being able to kiss without fear of being interrupted.

“Get any marriage proposals?” Kit asked against his lips. He felt Ty smile.

“She's not even bothering with proposals anymore,” he said. "She's convinced we'll be next."

Kit laughed. “She’ll have to tell that to Jules and Emma.”

“I don’t think she ships them.”

“Can you blame her?”

Ty smiled and leaned down to kiss him again. No matter how many times he kissed Ty, it never got boring or felt any less incredible. The swooping feeling in his stomach was the same. The hitch in his breathing, the desire to pull him closer, closer, always closer, the sense that the whole world had faded away and nothing existed except the two of them, none of that had faded in the weeks since they had started doing this. The only thing that had changed was that now they both knew exactly what to do to elicit the reactions they wanted.

Kissing Ty was still pretty much the greatest pleasure in Kit’s life, and once he got started, he never wanted to stop.

Ty was the one to break the kiss, leaning his head down to rest on Kit’s chest with a contented sigh and lowering himself down so he was lying on top of Kit. Kit’s arms went up to wrap around his waist. He loved cuddling like this, their bodies pressed together from head to toe.

“We’re going out tomorrow,” Ty announced, playing with the hair at the nape of Kit’s neck.

“We are?”

“Emma’s taking us to Hidden Treasures for wedding clothes.”

“You don’t need any new clothes.”

“But you do.”

Kit grinned. Almost two months in, and they still couldn’t be apart for more than a few minutes. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“By the way,” he said, running his hand up and down Ty’s back, “I talked to Simon, and it sounds like we’re in for lots of teasing as soon as we get to New York. Emma’s been telling everyone about us.”

He said it with a laugh, but Ty’s hands stilled.

“That wasn’t very nice of her.”

Kit frowned. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Didn’t you want to tell them yourself?”

“About us?”

“About you.”

“Oh.”

In all honesty, Kit had completely forgotten that he wasn’t out to the people in New York. When Simon had texted him, it hadn’t even occurred to Kit that he had effectively been outed to a whole group of people.

Not that it could have been avoided, or that he would have wanted to keep it a secret. He was very obviously and openly dating a guy, and he had every intention of shouting that from the rooftops.

“I think I’m kind of glad she told them,” he admitted. “I didn’t really want to do it.”

He felt Ty relax against him.

Ty was right, of course, that Emma should have asked before spilling his secrets to Clary and the others, and maybe he’d have to have a conversation with her about it, but at the same time, Kit had given her no reason to believe he wanted to keep this a secret. And honestly? He hated talking about his feelings, so coming out to more people sounded like absolute hell. 

“Well, I’m proud of you, even if you didn’t do anything.”

Kit laughed, and they drifted off into silence as their chests rose and fell in tandem. Finally, Ty cleared this throat.

“Speaking of conversations you don’t want to have-”

“I love where this is going.”

Ty smiled, and continued. “Have you talked to Jem and Tessa about the First Heir thing?”

Kit exhaled. He hadn’t, of course, and his silence said as much. He knew he should talk to them - he didn’t even need Ty to tell him that, although his encouragement was of course much appreciated - but it was hard.

He had done a very stupid thing in going to the Seelie Court, and that stupid thing had clearly had consequences, even though he still didn’t quite understand what they were. Jem and Tessa really, really needed to know everything.

But the problem was that things were going so well, and he just didn’t want to ruin it.

He would have to tell them soon, though.

“Tomorrow,” he promised, because he knew Ty would hold him accountable and it was high time he did it. “Before we leave. I’ll talk to them.”

“Do you want me to be there?”

He thought about it for a moment.

“I think I should probably talk to them alone.”

“Okay. Let me know how it does.”

He leaned up to kiss him again.

* * *

“Tessa?”

It hadn’t been difficult for Kit to figure out where she might be. She was hilariously predictable, spending most of her time curled up with a book in the library. Kit would laugh if his stomach wasn’t in knots at the thought of what he was about to tell her.

He and Ty had talked it over again this morning. They’d been talking about it a lot lately, even though it was the last thing Kit ever wanted to think about. He needed to do this.

Jem and Tessa had to know about Kit’s most recent encounters with the Fair Folk. They would know what to do. They would know how to keep him safe.

He just hoped they wouldn’t be mad.

She looked up from her book, a tiny smile playing across her lips.

“Hey, Kit,” she said, moving her feet off the couch so Kit could sit down next to her. “What’s up?”

He took a seat. Jem, who had entered the room behind him, sat across from them. He didn’t know any more than Tessa did.

Kit took a deep breath.

Looked between the two of them.

And explained.

He left out the actual reason he had gone to Faerie, dancing around anything that would incriminate himself or Ty, but he told them about following Ty to Faerie, about the Seelie Queen’s words, and about the enounter with faeries that had happened during his first week back in Los Angeles.

When he was done, there was silence. Jem and Tessa shared a look.

Tessa reached out to take his hand.

“Kit,” she whispered. “I had no idea.”

He shrugged. “I just thought you should know.”

“I’m glad you told us,” said Jem. “That couldn’t have been easy to carry around.”

Kit drew his hand away from Tessa’s and hugged his knees to his chest. He hated serious conversations. He wanted this to be over.

Unfortunately, neither of his parents were saying anything.

“I think this is the part where you tell me what to do about it,” he said with a nervous laugh.

They exchanged another look.

“I’m afraid we don’t know any more than you do,” Jem admitted.

And that’s when the tears began to fall.

He wiped them away hastily, and felt Tessa’s arms wrap around his shoulders. He leaned into her. Tessa gave the best hugs. She was the best mom. He couldn’t believe he had lived without her for so long.

He realized, maybe for the first time, that he had gotten used to Jem and Tessa having all the answers. He had come here expecting them to tell him that everything was going to be fine and they knew exactly what he should do, and hearing the opposite had shaken him.

He didn’t know what to do. His parents didn’t know either. But they would figure it out, together.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kit found himself in the backseat of the Blackthorns’ car as Emma drove, Helen took shotgun, and Ty sat in the back with Kit because even though he didn’t need to buy anything, it was pretty much a given at this point that if Kit went somewhere, Ty would come along, and vice versa. Emma made fun of them for it, but neither of them really cared.

Kit was still kind of afraid of Emma’s driving, but she was the best option out of the four of them, and it wasn’t like she could move that quickly in Los Angeles. All Kit really had to worry about was the poor mundanes she was verbally berating and gesturing at through the open window.

“Emma!” Helen seemed to be the most nervous out of all of them, gripping the handle above her head as she watched Emma put her head back in the vehicle and roll up the window. “That was _not_ necessary!”

“Oh, it was absolutely necessary.”

“You can’t just take out your anger on innocent mundanes!”

“Watch me.”

Helen shot her a Look. Emma sighed and tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, apparently resigned to her fate. 

“Why can’t you get one of those magic faeries steeds, like Mark has?” she asked Helen. “We could fly right over these suckers.”

“Sorry, there weren’t any flying horses on Wrangel Island.”

Emma just shrugged.

“Tessa tried to teach me to ride a horse once,” Kit added from the backseat. “It wasn’t fun.”

The horse had been extremely lazy and refused to pick up the pace no matter how many times Kit had asked her to, then had promptly spooked at a plastic bag and sent Kit flying off her back. Kit had decided then and there that he was perfectly happy with sheep and goats and rabbits, thank you very much.

“But the horse didn’t fly,” Emma argued. “Flying makes all the difference.”

“I’d like a flying horse,” said Ty. “Or a regular horse.”

“You do not want a horse,” said Kit, with a shudder. “Trust me on this one.”

Emma scoffed. “You don’t get a say in this, Kit, you’re not part of the family.”

“We are _not_ getting a faerie steed,” said Helen from the passenger seat. “And Kit is just as much a part of the family as you are, Emma.”

Kit was weirdly touched.

Emma just shrugged. “Well, he won’t be around to complain when we buy our magical flying horse.”

Helen ignored her and turned around in her seat so that she was facing the two boys. She smiled. “You two are going long distance soon, aren’t you? How are you feeling about that?”

“Uh.” Kit laughed nervously. “Not great.”

Ty squeezed his hand. “It’ll be weird.”

Emma gagged. “You two are pathetic.”

“Last time Julian took too long at the grocery store, you had a crisis and almost dyed your hair,” Kit shot back.

“He doesn’t usually leave me alone for that long!”

“I’m sure you guys will be fine,” said Helen with a reassuring smile. “You’re seeing each other every weekend, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

Emma groaned. “All I’m saying is, I can’t wait til I can walk into the library without fear of interrupting a makeout session.”

“That would be nice,” Helen agreed.

Kit rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe Emma was complaining about _him_ when she and Julian had done exactly the same thing to the kitchen.

“Admit it,” he said. “You’re gonna miss me.”

“What have you ever contributed to this household, other than emotional scarring?”

“I’m very funny,” said Kit, offended.

“He is,” Ty agreed.

“I have never laughed at one of your jokes.”

“Well, I made Mark famous on Twitter.”

There was a pause.

“You know about Mark’s Twitter?” said Emma.

Kit grinned. “I _made_ that Twitter account.” In truth, he was kind of surprised that _Emma_ knew about it. Shadowhunters were generally clueless about technology, and especially clueless about social media. He had expected Mark’s celebrity to remain a secret from his family.

“Oh my god.” Emma's hands returned to the steering wheel as she pulled into a lane that was moving slightly faster. “Oh my god, Kit, you fucking legend. I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said about you. You can stay forever.”

“I didn’t realize you followed him.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma pressed down on the accelerator as they picked up speed. “I don’t know what that Twitter thing is but Tina sends me a screenshot of every single thing he posts. ‘Some days I wish I were a dandelion?’” she quoted. “‘I long for the days when one could dance naked out of doors and not be stared at?’ Absolute gold. The king of comedy.”

“What are you talking about?” Helen finally asked.

Kit ignored her. “Did you see the latest one?”

“‘Why do people run away from me when I take my sword to the park? Where else am I supposed to look for apples?’ she quoted. “I laughed at that one for a solid hour.”

“Do you think he really does that?”

“He does. Cristina has pictures.”

“What are you talking about?” repeated Helen. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

“I think it’s some internet thing,” explained Ty. “It’s usually better if you don’t ask too many questions.”

Kit scoffed. In time, Ty would learn to appreciate his references. It was an important cultural education.

Despite Ty’s protests, Kit spent the rest of the car ride trying to explain Twitter to all three of the Shadowhunters in the car. By the time Emma pulled into the parking lot, the two of them had quoted just about every Tweet Mark had ever made, and Helen seemed to be strongly regretting ever asking for an explanation. 

They split up as soon as they got inside, Emma dragging Helen over to the dresses as Kit and Ty wandered over to the menswear section. 

He could see why Emma liked this place. Kit had never been there before, but he was impressed at the selection of clothing in front of him. It was kind of quirky, too, a bit off the beaten path compared to the other stores she could have taken him to.

And, obviously, much cheaper, which was a plus. Jem only trusted him with so much money.

He sifted through the more wedding-appropriate clothes as Ty gave his opinions and looked around for stuff he thought Kit would like. Ty, of course, had more than enough formal wear for the wedding, and he looked fantastic in all of it, but it hadn’t even crossed Kit’s mind to pack a suit for his trip to Los Angeles, and he wasn’t about to repeat last year’s wardrobe disaster.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ty pull a t-shirt off the rack.

“I think I found something,” He said, laughing.

Kit looked up, and grinned. Ty was holding up a shirt that said “BE GAY DO CRIME” in rainbow lettering.

“Words to live by,” he said, taking the shirt from Ty. He was absolutely going to buy it.

“I thought you were done with doing crime.”

“Never.”

Ty shook his head, clearly unconvinced, and they gathered up all the items Kit wanted to try on and made their way over to the changing rooms.

Predictably, Kit ended up taking the most time out of all of them, making sure to try on everything that fit him and that might be an option for the wedding. By the time he stepped out in an outfit he actually liked, he had an audience of three people giving him their opinions, Emma and Helen having already selected and purchased their new dresses.

Ty’s eyes widened as soon as he stepped out of the stall, his eyes raking over him appreciatively. Kit’s eyebrows shot up.

“I like this one,” said Ty simply.

Emma coughed.

“I think it’s nice,” Helen agreed.

Ty stood up to get a closer look, smoothing his hands over the material. He was standing very close, and Kit had to remind himself that they had an audience.

“It fits,” said Ty. His voice was slightly hoarse, his cheeks turning pink. Kit was definitely blushing.

He cleared his throat. “It doesn’t match yours.” It was blue, and Ty’s suit was black.

Ty shrugged. “I like it.”

"Alright!" Emma stood up and clapped her hands together. "I think that's our cue to get out of here."

She pushed him back into the changing room, dragging Ty away by the back of his shirt.


	25. Chapter 25

Kit woke to someone shaking his shoulder and whispering in his ear.

“Kit. Kit. Wake up, we have to go.”

He groaned and blinked his eyes open. His boyfriend was leaning over him, and he was _very_ shirtless, his two necklaces dangling in between their bodies. His hair was mussed, his eyes sleep-crusted, and the corners of his mouth turned up just slightly. He was beautiful.

“Why am I awake?” Kit whined.

Ty grinned and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We’re going out, remember?”

He rolled over so he was on top of Kit, and Kit realized just how little clothing they were both wearing. His hands ran up Ty’s sides, his mouth opening under Ty’s.

Memories from the previous day came back to him gradually. He remembered the wedding, both Jace and Clary looking like the two happiest people in the world. A parade of faces, people wanting to catch up or just to comment on how much he looked like Jace. Sneaking away whenever the noise and the crowds became too much for Ty. Drinking a little too much and saying a few too many inappropriate things to his boyfriend in public. Ty eventually telling him that if he didn’t sober up then he wouldn’t get to do any of the things he was talking about. Kit figured he had Ty to thank for the fact that he didn’t feel even the slightest bit hungover.

Ty’s breath smelled and tasted terrible, and Kit knew his must be just as bad, but he kissed him back anyway, his mouth moving against Ty’s with aching slowness. His hands moved over the broad expanse of skin in front of him. Every part of Ty was warm and soft and pliant and _Ty._

“Are we still going to the park?” Ty mumbled against his lips.

“Yeah,” he said. “Just give me a moment.”

His hands came to rest in the dip of Ty’s hips. He leaned up, pressing his lips against Ty’s with a little more intensity than before. He felt Ty pull back.

“Is everything okay?”

Kit opened his eyes, looked up at Ty’s naked torso in front of him, the elegant curve of Ty’s neck, the tiny frown playing across his lips, the lines on his forehead. God, Kit didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky.

He nodded. “Just appreciating the moment.”

Ty’s expression softened. He leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

“Every weekend,” he said.

“Yeah. Yeah, every weekend.”

“We’ll make it work.”

They would, and they both knew it. But Kit also knew it wouldn’t be the same.

There was something magical in falling asleep next to Ty every night, and waking up next to him every morning. In knowing that they would never have to split up for any reason if they didn't want to. In just existing in the same space, splicing their lives together, being a unit.

Things would be different after today.

Ty sat up so he was straddling Kit, sitting on his stomach. Kit ran his hands up his thighs and admired the view, wishing very much that they had more time than they did.

“We should head out soon,” said Ty, as if reading his mind. He made no move to leave.

“Yeah.” Kit’s fingers traced circles on Ty’s skin. “You sure you’re up for it?

Ty reached down to wind his fingers through Kit’s. “I have to do it.”

Kit squeezed his hand. “Alright.” He sat up, and Ty moved off of him. “Let’s go.”

Ty tumbled out of bed and started gathering their clothes, which were strewn haphazardly around the floor. They’d have to make sure to put them in different suitcases. Kit hadn’t even thought about that.

He made his way to the shower, leaving Ty to sort out their mess. By the time he stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist, all their belongings had been neatly packed away into separate suitcases, and Ty was fully dressed, waiting for him on the bed. He had even laid out an outfit for him.

“What on earth am I going to do without you?” said Kit, checking out the clothes Ty had picked out.

“I’m slightly worried,” Ty responded with a smile.

“You should be.” He tossed his towel onto the bed and started pulling on the boxers. He saw Ty’s gaze drop, and blushed. “I’m barely a functional human with you looking after me. On my own, I’m just going to wander around in circles looking lost and waiting for someone to tell me what to do.”

“You could call me.”

“Careful,” he laughed. “I’m going to start calling you in the middle of class. ‘Help! I can’t figure out what to eat for lunch! Please save me from this decision, my loving and supportive boyfriend!’”

Ty knocked his foot against Kit’s shin. “You’ll be doing me a favour,” he said. “I’m going to miss your voice.”

"Nah." He was fully dressed now. He moved to stand in between Ty's knees, his arms looped across his shoulders. "You won't have the chance. I plan on calling you every night before bed, _and_ every morning as soon as I wake up."

"I know." Ty leaned up to kiss the underside of his jaw. "You said as much yesterday. In front of your entire family."

Kit laughed. "I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment."

"Nah." he hooked his fingers through Kit's belt loops, pulling him closer. "It was flattering."

"I wasn't kidding, though."

“We’re still spending every weekend together,” said Ty, laughing.

“Two nights a week, Ty! Don’t pretend that’s enough for you. I know it’s not.”

Ty grinned. “Maybe more than twice a week? Sometimes?”

“Who’s the horny teenager now?” he teased.

“I never pretended it was just you.”

“Yes, you did.” Kit leaned down for a quick kiss. “And I promise I will answer any and all booty calls to the Scholomance.”

Ty frowned. “What?”

Kit smiled. He was determined never to leave his boyfriend confused about a saying or expression he used, so he always made sure to explain everything. Sometimes, Ty made him regret saying things almost immediately. Like now.

When he was done explaining, Ty didn’t seem too horrified. “Well, if you promise to come every time I ask, then I’ll end up calling you over every day.”

“Please do,” he said. Then he realized that he would need to ask his _mom_ for help facilitating those late-night booty calls, and decided he might need to rethink this arrangement.

Ty nipped at his earlobe. “Maybe I will.”

“You are the _worst_ student.”

“I’m the best student,” he corrected. “And if my grades ever drop, it will definitely be because of you.”

“No, it’ll be because you can’t keep it in your pants. Don’t drag me into this.”

Ty gave him a peck on the lips, still grinning, and then stood up, announcing that they had wasted enough time and needed to get going. Kit followed him out the door and down the hall.

He winced at the light in the hallway. So maybe he was a _little_ bit hungover after all.

The details of the wedding were still a little bit fuzzy around the edges. He distinctly remembered showing everyone pictures of his pet rabbit, and Jace and Isabelle absolutely losing it when they learned its name.

“He doesn’t know!” Simon cried. “It’s pure coincidence, he wasn’t making fun of me!”

“So he just saw a small brown rodent and thought of you? Simon, that doesn’t make you look any better.”

Kit was still trying to figure out what they had been talking about. He would have to ask Jace, since Simon refused to explain.

He also remembered a much less confusing conversation with Alec. It must have happened early during the reception, he thought, because he could remember every detail.

He had been sitting at his table, watching Ty talk to Mina. Alec sat down next to him, and followed his gaze.

“So,” he said, a smile playing across his lips. “You and Ty, huh?”

Kit turned to face him, then. Alec had been practically bursting with pride all day long, but the look he turned on Kit was different. Closer to the look he gave his kids.

“Yeah,” Kit said, unable to control the way his voice pitched down as he talked about Ty. “For a few months now.”

Alec opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked across the room at Ty. He clearly wanted to say something, but didn’t know how. Kit waited.

Finally, he found his voice.

“When I was your age,” he started, “coming out was the scariest thing I could imagine.”

Kit was taken aback by that. “Wait, really?”

Alec nodded. “It was my biggest fear. Literally.”

Kit tried to picture it. Alec Lightwood. Closeted. Afraid to tell his family who he was. It was such a far cry from the confident man sitting beside him that it was almost impossible to imagine.

He said as much, and Alec chuckled.

“It took me a long time to get to this point.”

“Is it still hard?” He knew it was an invasive question, and it wasn’t his place to ask, but he was kind of fascinated by the idea of the Consul struggling with his sexuality. Maybe it made him feel a bit better about his own issues.

He shrugged. “Sometimes. Most of the time I can’t tell if people are more upset that Magnus is a man or that he’s a warlock. But I’ve learned to brush it off.”

That would complicate things. Kit was kind of glad he didn’t interact much with Shadowhunter society.

“Seeing you two together…” Alec shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, his arms crossed. “I don’t know if I’m proud or jealous or inspired.”

“If things are better now, it’s because of you.”

Alec had looked at him for a long moment then, contemplating. “If you ever need anything,” he had said, looking right into Kit’s eyes. “You know you can come to me, right? You’re not in this alone.”

A day later, Kit still felt warm and fuzzy inside from that conversation. Having someone on his side, someone who had an idea of what it was like to be queer and a Shadowhunter, was something he hadn’t even realized he needed.

Ty led him into the kitchen and began searching the cupboards and fridge for something to eat. They had initially planned to put together a full picnic, but the Institute’s kitchen was a mess these days, and there hadn’t been time to go grocery shopping, so they would have to make do with whatever they could find.

The kitchen was mostly full of garbage - and Isabelle’s cooking, which was even worse - but Ty managed to locate a box of granola bars, and Kit determined that the oranges on the counter were probably edible. It wasn’t the romantic picnic breakfast of his dreams, but it was food.

They ate while they walked, leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of the Institute for the busy streets of New York. There was a cool breeze in the air, just the slightest hint that summer was starting to tip over into fall, and it was early enough in the day that the sun was only just starting to rise in the sky. It was a far cry from the oppressive heat of Los Angeles, and Kit felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. 

Their linked hands swung between them as they walked all the way to Central Park. They knew all too well how to get there by Subway, but it was a nice day, and they had time, and they wouldn’t be in New York for much longer.

The food lasted all of five minutes. The granola bars turned out to be hard as rocks, but still technically edible, and Kit wasn’t sure if his stomach felt weird because of the food or because of the hangover, but he decided to deal with it later.

They didn’t talk much, both content just to enjoy each other’s company as they dodged mundanes who couldn’t see them. This might have been a bit easier without the glamour runes, Kit thought, but being invisible was more fun.

Ty was wearing his headphones, and he looked perfectly at ease at Kit’s side. Kit wished they had more time here. There were so many places he wanted to show Ty in New York, so many things he’d never had the chance to do during his few trips to the city but that would make excellent dates. They’d have to come for a longer visit one day.

Ty tugged on his hand, and nodded toward something off to their left.

“Kit, look.”

It took Kit a moment to figure out what he was supposed to be looking at, but when he found it, he laughed and shoved his boyfriend.

“Fuck off. You’ve been spending way too much time with Jem and Tessa.”

“Do you need me to protect you?” he teased, as the family of ducks waddled toward them, quacking in a way that Kit had to admit was slightly menacing.

“I don’t hate ducks!” said Kit for what felt like the hundredth time. “Ducks are fine! It’s my relatives who are weird!”

“Prove it.” Ty was grinning at him. “Pick one up.”

“Why would I do that?” said Kit, his voicing pitching up.

“To prove you’re not afraid.”

“There is a very big difference between ‘not afraid of ducks’ and ‘willing to pick up a random duck that’s probably full of diseases and will definitely bite me.’”

“Sounds to me like you’re afraid.”

Kit glared at him theatrically. “I’d like to see you do it.”

He realized he had made a mistake almost instantly as Ty dropped his hand and started walking toward the ducks. Kit lunged at him and grabbed his elbow, pulling him back just in time.

“Why are you _like this?_ ”

“So you admit you’re afraid of the ducks?”

Kit shook his head as he marched them away from the waterfowl. “You are _literally_ the only person I know who would attempt to pick up a random duck at the park.”

“More people should try it! They’re friendly.”

“They are not.”

“So you admit you’re afraid.”

Kit laughed, dragging his boyfriend away from the ducks and further into Central Park. “If that’s your standard for being afraid of ducks, then yes, fine, I’m afraid of them. Happy now?”

“Yes.”

They were almost at their destination now. Kit wasn’t overly familiar with Central Park, but he was pretty sure he would never forget the way to this particular spot. It was fixed in his brain forever. He had a feeling it was the same for Ty.

And then they were there, standing on the edge of the innocuous-looking pond where they had lost Livvy forever. Ty had wanted to come here one last time before they left.

Kit would personally have preferred to never visit or pass by this place ever again, but Ty had wanted him here, and he wasn’t going to deny his boyfriend that. He sat down on the ground, looking out at the water where, yes, a couple of ducks were floating on the surface. He felt Ty lower himself down next to him.

“Thanks for coming,” said Ty, and kissed him on the cheek. Kit sighed and leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder.

“Anything for you.”

He smiled, and Ty’s arm tightened around him.

“I know you didn’t want to,” Ty said, resting his chin on Kit's head because he was tall and able to do it.

“It’s fine. It’s not so bad.”

He was actually kind of glad Ty had dragged him out here. Thinking about Livvy hurt, a lot, and thinking about what had happened hurt even more, but it was nice to have a chance to think about it, to remember, to honour her.

He couldn’t see Ty’s face, but he heard the other boy sniff, and felt his face press into his hair. He leaned into him.

“How much time do we have?”

“A few hours.” Ty’s voice was muffled above him.

He nodded, still looking out at the water, where he could now count three ducks.

Kit watched them dive, one at a time, sending tiny ripples out over the water, distorting the reflections of the trees providing them shade. Central Park was so peaceful, he thought. He had gotten used to the roar of the ocean, but this water was calm and welcoming and soothing.

Back at the New York Institute, people would be rolling out of bed, nursing hangovers, packing up their belongings after the most important wedding in recent memory. It felt impossibly far away.

He could feel the rise and fall of Ty’s chest against him, the tiny circles Ty was tracing on his skin under his shirt.

“She’d be really happy to see us together,” he heard Ty whisper.

He smiled. “She and everyone else.”

Ty turned his head to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Yeah,” he said. “But definitely her.”

Kit was still watching the ducks.

“I can’t believe anyone thinks I’d be good for you.” He meant it as a joke, but Ty wasn’t laughing.

He pulled back just enough to look at Kit.

“You are good for me.”

Kit felt his face heating up. He knew Ty was staring at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn his head.

“Kit.”

He looked, then. Ty was leaning back on his hands, and he wasn’t meeting Kit’s eyes, but he was staring intently at his mouth.

“I don’t know where I’d be without you,” he said.

Kit laughed shakily. “Don’t say that.” _Not when you’ve done just as much for me._

Ty leaned into a kiss then, a soft, gentle kiss that still set off butterflies in Kit’s stomach. It was one of those moments where Kit couldn’t quite believe how much he had gained in the last few years. How was it possible that he had this, had a boyfriend who loved him and the best family in the world and a whole group of friends who invited him to things and teased him about how much he loved his boyfriend. He kissed back, maybe with a little too much intensity, and thought it was horribly unfair when Ty pulled away.

“I don’t want to go back,” he whispered, his eyes fluttering open.

He saw the corners of Ty’s mouth tilt up. Their mouths were only inches apart. “It’s only for a week.”

“How many times are we gonna say that after today?”

Ty smiled into another kiss, then pulled back again. “I’ll be counting down the hours.”

“We’re ridiculous.”

“Can you imagine anyone else doing this, though? Emma and Julian? Clary and Jace? Helen and Aline?”

Kit grinned. “They could never handle it.”

“We’re so brave.”

Kit leaned in for another kiss. He figured they had gotten a pretty good deal, all things considered. He thought of his parents, only seeing each other once a year for an entire century. There was something kind of romantic about that. Maybe going long distance for a bit would be good for them.

Not that it would be fun.

They lapsed into silence, staring out at the pond as the sun rose higher in the sky. Their time was limited. They still had a long walk ahead of them, and they hadn’t told anyone where they were going. It wouldn’t be long before people started to worry.

Kit sank back against his boyfriend and savoured their last few moments together before the start of the next chapter of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! This fic kept me sane during quarantine.
> 
> I will probably write a few one-shots set in the same universe as this fic at some point, but at the moment there’s no timeline for it as I’m working on other things. So be sure to follow me here or on [Tumblr](https://bcarstairs.tumblr.com/) for updates!
> 
> Due to popular demand, I am now running a Twitter account for Mark, with tweets from this fic and others I didn’t get the chance to use. You can follow that account [here](https://twitter.com/MarkABlckthorn) if you’re into that and I'll try to keep coming up with content, I guess???
> 
> I also have a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jRBIsAgUg108KUHz75sTS?si=3QN2w2kcRMe10c7Je0zKxw) for this fic, if anyone is interested! I also have a bunch of tsc playlists on my account that I listened to while writing this.


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